Nothing can keep them from coming back... to vote

KUALA LUMPUR -- When the prime minister announced the dissolution of the Parliament, a specific group of people started to fix their eyes on the Facebook or the websites of airline companies.

These people have made up their minds. The moment the Election Commission has announced the polling date, they will immediately book their return flights online.

They may be working, studying or married overseas, breathing the air of foreign lands most part of the year, but deep inside them, home is always close to their minds.

They are concerned about everything Malaysian. They miss the warm and humid weather here, the fascinating local delicacies, and most of all, the latest developments in this country.

When they read of something pleasant, satisfactory smiles will be shown on their faces, but if they encounter any unpleasant news, they will start cursing. They are never far from home, sentimentally speaking.

Among them are first-time voters while others rushed back to their motherland to exercise their duty as citizens of Malaysia back in 2008.

Tan, a young Malaysian woman working as a marketing manager in Shanghai, China, has had the experience of coming back to vote.

"I was working in Taiwan back in 2008, but I still booked a return ticket from Taipei to Penang to vote. Although the ticket is not cheap, I could feel that the power of my vote was not immaterial. And I will choose to fly back to Malaysia again to vote this time."

A Malay man who prefers to remain anonymous told Sin Chew Daily he would fly back from Canada to Perak just to cast his ballot.

He said he knew his ballot alone might not really be that big deal after all, but he wanted to inspire friends and relatives around him to realise that the upcoming general elections are going to be extremely important and that everyone must come out and vote, and ensure that the election is clean.

"I hope to take part in Malaysia's democratic process despite the fact that I spend most of my time overseas. I want to be a witness of history."

Indeed, for one reason or another, many Malaysians are willing to pay hefty prices and fly across half the globe just to cast their votes.

-Sin Chew Daily