Experienced ROSE trainers kicked off the session with a quick introduction on the roles of PACAs

ROSE  kicked off our  inaugural Polling and Counting (PACA) Training Session in Kuching  on the 27th June 2015 with 22 attentive participants of varying age-groups. Most were from Kuching and Bau areas while two came from as far as Betong, a good four hours away. The main part of the training was on the roles and responsibilities of a PA and CA on election day interspersed with voter education and rights.

ROSE trainers demonstrating spoilt votes

About half of the participants were first-timers and had never attended any such training before. The session was conducted by our trainers Alice Then and Ann Teo. The use of role-plays in the training was well received and the participants learned 'heaps' from them besides having some fun from volunteering.

Good turnout for our inaugural PACA session for 2015

Below is a short sharing by 23-year-old Caleb,  a brand new voter who has never attended any such training before : 

I feel that many young adults of my generation are either disinterested about the well-being of the country or just complaining about everything without doing anything about it. Since action speaks louder than words and after some persuading from a friend, I decided to do my small little part in contributing to the ultimate goal of achieving a clean and fair election. In my humble opinion, the ROSE PACA training was very insightful and eye-opening for me as a person that does not have any past voting experience. The training presentation was straight to the point and easy to understand, which is great for first timers. In fact, events like this should even be compulsory to educate the new voters in our country. I have also gained a better idea of the whole election process through the role play session which was effective to help visualize how the proceedings were carry out. We were taught about the responsibilities of every roles during the election process and how to deal with issues that a polling agent might encounter. The training also empowers citizens to be a smart voter, to know their rights and avoid fraud in the election process. Based on the experience, I would strongly encourage more people to participate in the PACA training, especially the ones like me who have no past voting experience. If Malaysians are willing to contribute to small steps like this, we would no doubt be able to generate massive impact and see positive changes in our beloved country.      

Thank you Caleb! We are glad that you have taken this brave first step towards regaining ownership of this country, keep it up!