Sabah Mp Urges Ministry To Address Election Exam Clash

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Warisan lawmaker Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis has called on the Higher Education Ministry to review and reschedule university timetables that clash with the 17th Sabah state election, warning that hundreds of students could be deprived of their right to vote.
The Kota Belud MP said she had received numerous complaints and concerns from parents and students over the timing of the polling day on Nov 29, which coincides with polytechnic final examinations and Universiti Teknologi Mara’s (UiTM) convocation week.
“This clash will put hundreds if not thousands of Sabahan students studying all over the country in a heartbreaking dilemma,” she said in a statement issued in Kota Kinabalu yesterday.
“For them, choosing between an important academic commitment and the basic duty as a citizen to vote should never happen. This is not just a logistical issue, it is about the democratic rights of Malaysians,” she said.
This comes after Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) was also forced to postpone its 27th convocation, initially scheduled for Nov 29, to Nov 30.  
Isnaraissah urged the ministry to take immediate steps to coordinate and adjust key academic dates at universities and colleges nationwide “to respect the democratic process in Sabah.”
“We should be making it easier for young people to take part in democracy, not the other way around," she said, adding that the clash could send a wrong message while denying the rights of thousands of young Sabah voters.
She also called on the Election Commission to improve coordination with the ministry before setting election dates, to ensure that students are not caught between exams and their civic responsibilities.
“We teach our students to be responsible citizens. Don’t punish them when they try to be one,” she said. - Mkini

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