VOTING BEYOND BORDERS DIASPORIC MOBILISATION OF MASS POSTAL VOTE COLLECTION IN SINGAPORE DURING GE15

Abstract

This thesis focuses mainly on the Singapore-based 1thirdMedia Movement and examines the motivation to help get-out the postal votes among the Malaysian diaspora in Singapore in Malaysia’s 2022 GE15. This research highlights how the removal of geographical barriers for a historically neglected Malaysian diaspora motivated the 1thirdMedia Movement to assist Singapore-based voters in increasing their civic participation. In addition, this research also explores how the unresolved fundamental flaws of Malaysia’s postal voting system complicated the voting process for overseas postal voters, which provided further impetus for the 1thirdMedia Movement’s actions. This paper will also situate Malaysia among its Southeast Asian neighbours – the Philippines and Indonesia – to explore the existing discrepancies in Malaysia’s overseas voting system. This thesis aims to contribute to the wider literature of Malaysia’s elections by highlighting the growing significance of Malaysian electoral reform movements. This thesis utilises existing literature on Malaysian electoral reform movements, newspaper articles on GE15 and previous Malaysian General Election as well as interviews with volunteers with the 1thirdMedia Movement and Singapore-based Malaysians.