In advance of Malaysia's groundbreaking 2008 general elections, our on-the-ground staff provided strategic assistance to local groups active in public awareness, voter registration, and elections management and monitoring. They worked alongside our local partner, The Merdeka Center, to undertake a survey which gauges the political and social views of young Malaysians. "The data helps Malaysian voters and policymakers understand the needs of young voters— and address their concerns based on factual findings," says Ibrahim Suffian, director of the center. "Young voters are shaping Malaysia's future, so it is critical for the nation to understand how our youth perceive themselves in their communities and in politics." Among the findings, 94 percent feel that voting in elections is important, while 52 percent still think there is little they can do to hold government accountable between elections. Results also reveal that ethnicity contributes to significant differences in Malaysian youth perspectives. Four hundred miles of South China Sea separate the two largest and poorest East Malaysian states, Sabah and Sarawak from the Malay Peninsula, and they have the lowest literacy rates in the country. Schools there are in dire need of educational materials. Since 2006, we have distributed twenty-six thousand English-language books to marginalized communities. We also supported election training and observation in twenty parliamentary constituencies, and our voter education effort in East Malaysia mobilized remote communities to value their role as citizens and register to vote.
Malaysia
Our Malaysia office has expanded its focus to concentrate increasingly on greater citizen participation and on young people in East Malaysia. Read country overview.