People exercising their right to vote always gives us a warm and fuzzy feeling, so imagine how happy we were to hear that the line outside the Myanmar Embassy on St Martin’s Road in Singapore started as early as Thursday at midnight and grew so much so fast that the schedule was extended.
The country’s first-ever general elections since the end of military rule in 2011 are on November 8, but advanced overseas voting has been arranged in key Myanmar embassies. In Singapore, the voting period was supposed to end on Sunday but has reportedly been moved forward by three days.
Some 1,877 people turned up on Thursday and that number increased this weekend, since there are 20,000 overseas voters registered in Singapore, according to volunteers interviewed by Channel News Asia. They make up the majority of Myanmar nationals abroad who are casting ballots.
Reuters, however, reported last month that fewer than 19,000 overseas nationals have registered.
The crowds grew significantly on Saturday, with our colleague on the ground in Singapore reporting thousands of people and wait times of several hours. He said that the energy level was high despite the heat and that volunteers were cleaning up trash and passing out water, orange juice and even watermelons.
There are apparently two lines, one for those from Yangon and others for residents of outerlying regions.
Our colleague took a smartphone and walked the entire line, which took about 15 minutes.
Numbers in Singapore stand in stark contrast to Thailand, where only a sliver of the enormous Myanmar community there will make it to the voting booths.
Volunteers have been explaining the system to those lined up, who are selecting candidates for the Upper and Lower Houses and area parliaments including Yangon Region.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy, which is running against the army-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party, is poised to make major gains in the polls.
Myanmar citizens living overseas total to a little over 2 million, according to 2014 government figures.
Photo of line on October 17, 2015 / Coconuts Media
