| I was happy that Singaporeans staying abroad can now vote for the next election.
However, after receiving news about where the voting stations will be located, I was disappointed. For example, Singaporeans who settle in Australia can only vote at the Embassy in Canberra. There are at least 20,000 Singaporeans staying in Australia. Many have resettled in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Canberra is the capital of Australia.
To vote in Canberra, most of us have to take a plane, cast their vote and then take a
plane back. Depending on where you are, the journey can either be a one hour plane
ride or three hours. There is also the cost factor. Each return ticket can cost between
$300 to $500 depending on when and where you book the tickets.
I wonder how many eligible Singaporeans will go to the hassle of doing that.
Can the Ministry of Foreign Affairs examine the possibility of having one more voting
station in Australia where there is a huge congregation of Singaporeans here? The
same could be done for other countries where there is a large contingent of
Singaporeans.
It will be a election white-elephant if eligible voters living abroad could not cast their
vote due to the distance of the voting station.
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