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At this time of writing, Malaysia is less than twenty-four hours away from announcing its next leader. As an overseas student separated by an ocean from home, sitting in my little square room, waves of confusion, anxiety, and helplessness wash over me all at once. 

I have an unexplainable attachment to what I call ‘the sampan analogy’, and this is how it is pictured in my mind: Ever since summer concluded, we students knew that a General Election was impending. We also knew that when the time came, we would give everything to exercise our democratic rights and send our votes home. I imagine us rowing through dangerous waters, threatening creatures, and unimaginable storms in our little sampan holding onto nothing but a flickering lantern and sack of ballots, all this just to deliver the sack back home. The greatest hurdle to overcome was uncertainty. 

This eleven-lettered word became the kryptonite of our initiative. Uncertainty as to when students would receive their ballots, how many ballot collection centres would have to open and for how long, and whether we could realise the plan of gathering all ballots in London prior to the flight home. It was as if our journey across the ocean was cloaked by a thick veil of fog that proved impenetrable even with our flickering lantern. We knew not which direction to depart in nor what speed we should set sail at. 

However, before we take a magnifying glass to recent events, let’s retrace our steps back to the very beginning of the VoteMalaysia movement. Nicole Siaw, former Chairperson of UKEC and Treasurer of VoteMalaysia, said that planning began three months ago when most were still basking in the summer sun. 

“We knew there were other organisations in the UK and Ireland who wanted to be involved in the postal voter drive, so the initial stages consisted of negotiations and liaison between organisations, as well as coalition- and consensus-building.”

According to Nicole, the main hurdle was getting people on board. No singular organisation could accomplish a feat of this scale on their own. So, many physical and virtual meetings were held across the board to manage expectations and align objectives. Aside from this, it was also difficult to chart a firm course of action because no one knew when the election would be. 

Even in the face of uncertainty and adversity, few things were clear: everyone was able to set their differences aside and work the oar through the storm, united by a common goal to amplify the youth voices in this election. 

When asked if she ever thought such a large-scale initiative would be impossible, Nicole answered: “It needed a lot of work, but [the postal drive] never felt impossible to pull off. Everyone wanted to do it whether through advocacy or ballot collection — it was just to what extent and how much risk they wanted to shoulder.”

And it seems like everyone went all out when the candidates were televised and ballots were swiftly sent out. Well, maybe not so swiftly for some. What followed was an arduous amount of waiting. Waiting for a sign that our sampan could set sail. Waiting for the fog to lift. 

The average student sat waiting by doors and mailboxes, tapping their feet as if it would magically will the long-awaited parcels to arrive sooner. Meanwhile, the committees of Malaysian societies were pulled into an unprecedented task: to coordinate a network that spans the whole of the country and to prepare for the eventual collection of ballots. Everything hinged on the arrival of the ballots in bright yellow DHL envelopes. While some students were sent tracking numbers and received their ballots in the blink of an eye, others weren’t so lucky. 

Grace Dagang, a second-year student from the University of Leeds, recalls a rather disappointing experience: 

“I had expected [the Electoral Commision] to be considerate and realistic with the time it takes to deliver our ballots and for us to send our ballots back. But funnily enough, there were only 12 days for the entire process… My parcel was sent on the 12th, and I consider myself lucky that my ballot arrived within three days. Theoretically, it would make sense for me to immediately post out my ballot and for it to arrive [in Malaysia] on the 18th, but this doesn’t allow any wiggle room for potential delays, which so happened to many.”

Indeed, Grace wasn’t the only one who was upset by the inefficient shipping of ballots, with many others across the country echoing her paranoia and anxiety while waiting on the delivery. 

“… I decided to camp outside my house, sit on my stool, and wait for DHL to arrive in the cold and rain. My parcel arrived when the sun had already set. As soon as I saw a truck, I went out and asked, ‘Is that for Grace Dagang?’. Imagine being late to a meeting with the company that could offer you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; you missed your bus but the driver decides to stop just for you. That’s the excitement I felt. I couldn’t stop bowing at the postman with a heart full with gratitude.”

Grace then packed and ran to the polling stations to help out — which brings us to the key of this entire operation: the ballot collection centres set up by Malaysian Societies. While it may appear that all Societies had to do was open up a table, set up a box, and start filling up said box with ballots, many efforts behind the scenes go unrecognised. 

Mardhiah Azhar from the University of Manchester was one of many who manned the voter collection booth in Manchester. The original plan was to only open booths for a day in each university and to gather them in London the day after; however, upon many students expressing that their ballots were arriving late, Malaysian Societies came together and decided to extend the booths by another day, each one of them mobilising their committee members and volunteers. 

Mardhiah attributes the success of the initiative to her fellow committee members who were willing to sacrifice their time to serve a common Malaysian cause, as well as the coordination from VoteMalaysia.

“[VoteMalaysia] has shown pure dedication and hard work since the very beginning to ensure that Malaysians in the UK can exercise their rights to vote. Despite facing various challenges, VoteMalaysia continues to prove that Malaysian youths are capable of leading a great cause and orchestrating reforms in our bleak system,” said Mardhiah. 

The MALECS President also noted how connected she felt to her roots in these days, praising the coalition for uplifting Malaysian spirits and rekindling the dreams of Malaysians abroad. She also said, “… I deeply thank VoteMalaysia for bringing us together into this historic moment. Thank you for leading us in amplifying the students’ voice and bringing democracy to life through this initiative. May the rakyat’s voice reign above all else.”

But it wasn’t just the efforts of Malaysian Societies that gained the initiative a standing ovation. In the early stages of VoteMalaysia’s planning, they had already decided for UKEC’s Regional Chairpersons (RC) to be lynchpins of the operation, acting as the link within regions. 

Myra Azwan, the North East RC, still has a strong memory of the hours leading up to collection day: 

“It was hectic. First, in terms of figuring out logistics; but secondly, we received a last-minute notice regarding travel routes at 4AM and were asked to schedule a meeting with our [Supreme Councillours] by 12PM that same day.”

The stressful week was highlighted by a boatload of documents, forms, groupchats, and contacts, all on top of most students’ mid-term season. Myra was not the only one who burned the midnight oil sorting out logistics and hopping on calls. At the end, however, she is also not the only one who was showered with relief to see people drop off their ballots, as well as “a sense of unity on voting day”.   

Our struggle in the sampan continues. As the North West RC, Khiresh Naiidu was the one tasked with carrying over 700 ballots from the North West region on a London-bound train after ballot collection centres closed on the 16th. This much coordination, planning, and travelling is not a small feat for any person to shoulder, but Khiresh said: “Despite spending days without much sleep planning the collection process, reading through compliance documents, and designing posters at midnight, watching the people come from far and wide to cast their votes, trying to make a difference, was a truly fulfilling experience.” 

At this point, it is clear that what fuels the leaders of our Malaysian Societies, RCs, and VoteMalaysia team members to keep pedalling in treacherous oceans was the hope of the youths making an impact in the election, for the Malaysia of our visions to manifest. 

Khiresh added on: “I believe that student efforts made a significant impact in this election, but not in the way many expect. We think that student efforts begin and end with them simply casting a ballot, but it extends beyond that. The student effort in this election was more of a statement piece to the political class of Malaysia. The basis of the argument against the UNDI18 bill was that those under 21 are too disengaged from politics to make a rational decision. This collective effort from the students — collecting votes in the thousands — has proven that students far for home are still engaged with Malaysian politics enough to make an informed decision and that they have competent governance when they inevitably come home after their studies.”

As VoteMalaysia representatives boarded a plane with 6,932 envelopes, each one sealed with ballots and the voice of a voter, Malaysians all over the UK and Ireland sighed a partial relief. We went about our days as the ballots were safely delivered to UNDI18 and dispatched to their respective constituencies from thereon. Admittedly, there were some regrets such as the fact that we could not bring back all ballots due to some voters’ parcel deliveries being delayed. 

Yet, this youth-led initiative was a success against all odds, and it is one worth celebrating. Toward the end of our conversation, Nicole revealed that the initiative managed to gather 14% of all postal ballots across the world, signing it as the most fulfilling project she has ever been a part of — a sentiment that I am sure resonates with many others. 

“As we worked through this [project], we dismantled the notion of youths being naive. We are, in fact, on equal footing with adults at every level; we are adaptable and capable, and the only thing that is holding us back is what we think of ourselves,” said Nicole. 

As the fog cleared up and the wind bolstered our little sampan, we slayed down creatures who attempted to convince us we would fail, braved the ever-changing weathers, and finally met shore. And so, let it be known in the history books that these students from the United Kingdom and Ireland thought they could send their votes back home for Malaysia’s 15th General Election, and they did.