VOTER EDUCATION PROGRAM IN SABAH
Sabah is one of the poorest states in Malaysia and has a majority population of indigenous people who have little access to information, especially on voters’ rights and democratic governance. With support from the Foundation, a local election monitoring and education body, the National Institute for Electoral Integrity (NIEI), conducted a voter education program in Sabah. Through a series of workshops in selected villages, NIEI aims to instill a better understanding of citizen’s rights as voters and to educate the electorate in making informed choices among candidates.
2007 YOUTH OPINION POLL
The Foundation supported The Merdeka Center’s 2007 Youth Opinion Poll to capture youth perceptions of politics and current issues facing the country, as well as their own levels of civic and social involvement. One of this program's aims was to understand the scale of engagement in civic action and organizations by young adults. The poll revealed that the country's youngest constituents believe that elections are important but that there is little that people can do to hold government accountable between elections. Going forward, the poll will be of use in developing strategies to improve youth participation in the political process.