KUCHING, Oct 13: Don’t change your Sarawakian address on your MyKad so that you will be able to continue voting in Sarawak, Sarawak People’s Aspiration Party’s (Aspirasi) president Lina Soo reminded Sarawakians residing in Peninsular Malaysia today.
She said by changing their address on their identity card, it will change their voting station to the new address and deprive them of their rights to come home to vote for Sarawak’s future.
Soo said this following an advice from Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Parliament) Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin recently to Sarawakians residing in Malayan states to change their address based on their place of residence.
Soo noted Mas Ermieyatie had urged Sarawakians residing in Peninsular Malaysia to change their identification card Sarawak address to their place of residence because postal votes are not allowed for Sarawakians who stay in Peninsular Malaysia.
“Why is it important to keep your Sarawak address on your MyKad? This is because your voting station is determined according to your place of residence on your IC.
“Once your voting address is non-Sarawakian, you lose your right to come back to Sarawak to exercise your voting rights,” she said in a statement today.
Soo said Aspirasi’s election manifesto for 12th Sarawak Election (PRN12) seeks a referendum to consult Sarawakians as to whether the current system of federalism still works for Sarawak after 58 years in the political union.
Soo added any Sarawakian living anywhere in the world still has a say over the political future of their birthplace if they do not change their address on their MyKad.
She pointed out that the decision will hold material and permanent implications for overseas Sarawakians and their children, thus they must not trade in their birthright by changing their MyKad address to an address in Peninsular Malaysia. — DayakDaily
