KOTA KINABALU, Oct 26 — A Christian denomination in Sabah is asking to be included in the list of early voters on November 15 as polling day is set on a Saturday, their prescribed day of rest.
Upko outgoing president Datuk Wilfred Tangau said that the group, Sabah Mission of Seventh Day Adventists (SDA) had submitted a letter to the Election Commission to ask for an exemption.
“The SDA are strict about their day of rest. Typically, they rest from 6pm on Friday evening till 6pm on Saturday. So they have asked to be allowed to vote earlier,” he said.
In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath is a day set aside for rest and worship and observed in Judaism and some denominations of Christianity.
Muslims also observe a similar practice on Fridays, leading some states such as Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu and Johor to designate the day as a weekend.
Tangau said that the Constitution has allowed for the freedom to practice their own religion and this was a big part of the denomination’s beliefs.
“We have made concessions for people of faiths by only having exams on Mondays to Thursdays to allow for Muslims’ Friday prayers so why not allow this as well?
“Respect their wish to practice their beliefs. In the past, we have had students who would sit out on exams on Saturday, opting to fail their exams, rather than disobey their religion,” he said.
SDA is prevalent among the natives in several districts like Tuaran, Kota Belud, Kota Marudu, Keningau, Papar as well as Kota Kinabalu. The Seventh Day Adventist is a global denomination, and in Sabah, they have set up about seven primary schools.
Tangau said although he did not know their numbers, it was about the rights of every Malaysian to practice their faith.
When asked about the mechanism, he said that each church could issue names of those eligible to vote and submit these to the EC.
