I recently wrote a post on Facebook that has garnered more than 100 shares, and counting, about a letter that I received, on my right to vote.

I have previously never heard of this issue, but now that I have shared my own experience, countless people have come forward saying that they have also got this very letter.

I think it would be great to spread the word on a larger platform, such as Malaysiakini. This is my original post on Facebook:

“Dear family & friends, a couple of weeks ago, completely out of the blue, I received this registered mail that I had to sign for to retrieve saying that I have to attend my court hearing on the 22nd of February related to the investigation into the objection of my right to vote. I know this is a very long post but I hope that you get through it and spread the word to everyone you know.

“Concerned that this may be related to my involvement in the opposition, I did some research and found out that this has been happening to a lot of people lately, especially with the recent surge in voter registrations. Many new registrants have been getting this letter at random. Oddly, there have even been a few people who have been voting for many years of their lives and have also received a similar letter.

“So what do I think of all this? My guess is that this is simply a ploy to reduce the number of young voters who are likely to support the opposition. Let's be honest, not everyone who gets this letter is going to be attending their hearing. The letter states that if I don't attend on this one day, at this one place, my name will immediately be taken off the electoral roll. People may be posted overseas; people may have a demanding job that won't allow them to take time off; whatever their reason may be. And then what happens? They're not going to be able to exercise their most basic right as a citizen of this country. It's ridiculous! And if you know me at all, you know that I love my country with a passion. So I wasn't going to take this sitting down, as intimidating as it all sounded.

“First off, a little info on the process. I arrived at 9am sharp and there were already quite a number of people in the waiting room. The hearings are on a first come, first served basis, and my wait time ended up being an hour. The objectors were all middle aged males of Malay descent. The majority of the people who were opposed, on the other hand, were of Chinese descent, with a few Indians as well. Not a single person was of Malay descent. And they were all in their early twenties.

“Most of the time, the objectors were present at the hearing of the person they had opposed. However, there were a number of objectors who were not present, including my objector. I only appeared in front of the judge for about five minutes, in which time, I had to take an oath stating that I would speak the truth and nothing but the truth. He then proceeded to check the documents that I brought, which included my identification card, birth certificate, proof of my voter registration or Borang A and an utility bill. And that was that. The judge ruled in my favour.

“Realistically speaking though, it's very unlikely that anyone would have the time to go through the entire electoral list and pick out my name, pay a nominal fee of RM10 and fill out a form just to object my right to vote. And yes, that is the official procedure to object someone's right to vote. Not so easy, is it? So it's clear that there are other forces at play here. With access to very basic information, how could he possibly form a proper judgment and feel the need to object to my right? Why would anyone in their right minds go through all this trouble to object against someone whom they know absolutely nothing about?

“Anyway, at the end of it all, I was told that I am entitled to a compensation of RM100 for the time that I've lost. I don't know if or when I'll get it, though. But I was given the name, identification number, phone number and address of my objector. So I am expected to contact him if I'd like to attempt getting my compensation.

“So, my hope is for anyone who's reading this, if you've received this letter, don't panic as you're not being targeted. Just be sure to attend on the day stated, and if for some reason you can't make it on the day or at the place, I hope that you appeal to the Election Office. Don't forget that you're appearing in front of a judge, so wear something proper. Most of the people who attended, including myself, were in a shirt and pants. I hope that you fight for it because this is your right and no one should take it away from you.

“Lastly, if you haven't registered as a voter and you are above 21 years old, I hope that you go out and register yourself. If anything, this should show you just how absolutely crucial it is to register. Please spread the word to your family and friends so that everyone can be aware and prepared. I know that things like these are rather unsurprising to some of us because it appears as though anything is possible in our country these days. But the fact that they're trying to take away your basic right should not be tolerated and it needs to be taken seriously.”

Despite this letter being pretty long, I find that people are really responding to it.