Jobless, penniless and disillusioned: Hurdles to the Sabah outstation vote

SABAH POLLS | The battle lines are blurred going into the Sabah election as coalition politics is reforged and in an unpredictable contest, every vote counts - including the many Sabahans who work in West Malaysia.

For 24-year-old Yong Ming Fatt, who works as a chef in Sri Kembangan, the prospect of voting for the first time is exciting despite concerns about the Covid-19 pandemic.

Yong is committed to making the journey home where he will vote on Sept 26 in Keningau, a two-hour drive south of the state capital Kota Kinabalu.

"Of course people are talking about Covid-19 now but we need to know the rights of Sabah. We will not get what we want for Sabah if we do not vote. We should vote anyway," he told Malaysiakini in an interview.

Yong is supportive of Pakatan Harapan, which is in alliance with Warisan and Upko in Sabah, believing that they have delivered more change compared to BN's era.

However, many do not share ...