With the 13th Malaysia General Election expected to be held no later than 27 June 2013, Malaysians are turning to various media channels such as newspapers, TVs, radios, news sites, blogs & social media to keep up with the latest developments in the country.
Available to users of Windows devices are many apps that they can use to keep track of all the latest developments leading up to polling day as well as the General Election results announcement; while also learning more about the country and its political players.
To start with, there is a locally developed SPR Electoral Roll Checking Windows Phone app by Pun Soong Teck (also known as Tc Pun). This free app allows Malaysian voters to key in their NRIC number to determine their voter status from the latest electoral roll by the Malaysian Election Commission. This is an important first step for Malaysians towards casting their vote for the upcoming General Elections.
Besides Tc’s Windows Phone app, there are also some official Windows 8 and Windows Phone apps for major news portals The Star Online, New Straits Times, MalaysiaKini as well as news aggregator apps. There are also apps to help users educate themselves about the Malaysian political landscape.
Check out these Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 apps:
| App | Platforms | Price | Description | Download Link |
| SPR Electoral Roll Checking by Tc | Windows Phone | Free | A hassle-free way for Malaysians to check their voter status. Just launch this app and key in your NRIC number, and your voter status will be retrieved from latest SPR Electoral Roll. | http://aka.ms/ElectoralRollChecking |
| GE13 Malaysia: Politic Parties | Windows 8 | Free | Want to learn more about the political parties in Malaysia? This app has educational information about the political parties registered in Malaysia. | http://aka.ms/GE13MalaysiaPoliticParties |
| The Star Online | Windows 8 / Windows Phone | Free | Official news app for Windows 8 by the fine folks who brought you The Star Online. Browse through the latest Nation, Business, Sport and Metro news sections. | Windows 8: http://aka.ms/TheStarOnlineAppWindows Phone: http://aka.ms/StarOnlineMobile |
| Malaysiakini | Windows 8 / Windows Phone | Free | Get Malaysiakini’s news and views on your Windows device. News content are available in English (default), Chinese and Malay languages. | Windows 8: http://aka.ms/MalaysiaKiniAppWindows Phone: http://aka.ms/MalaysiaKiniMobile |
| New Straits Times | Windows Phone | Free | The official NST app, Developed by NSTP e-Media. The oldest newspaper in Malaysia traces its roots back to a weekly journal printed in 1845. New Straits Times has a strong conviction for a stable, progressive nation-building brings to its audience a rich editorial content that has garnered huge following of movers and shakers, and key decision makers, paving the way to a united and progressive Malaysia. | http://aka.ms/NSTMobile |
| News App | Windows 8 | Free | The beautiful, photo-rich News app, powered by Bing, makes it easy for you to stay up to date on what’s happening in the world. Designed for Windows, the News app puts control at your fingertips. Swipe through for a quick read on the headlines. Go deep with personalized coverage of the topics you’re passionate about. Or, search the day’s stories from your choice of nearly 200 trusted sources. | http://aka.ms/Windows8NewsApp |
| Malaysia News – Free | Windows Phone | Free | MalaysiaNews Free aggregates news from various Malaysian news sources including: The Sun Daily; The Star Online; The Malaysian Insider; New Straits Times; The Edge Malaysia; MalaysiaKini; Harian Metro; Berita Harian; Harakah; ETP Roadmap; GTP Roadmap | http://aka.ms/MalaysiaNewsFreeMobile |
| Malaysia PM | Windows Phone | Free | This app can be used to educate children about every Prime Minister of Malaysia. Users just need to click on the picture to read more details for that particular person. | http://aka.ms/MalaysiaPMMobile |
| Weave News Reader | Windows Phone | Free | *Exclusive to Windows Phones*, Weave is a news reader that lets you follow any website or blog you are interested in at any time. It provides a huge set of built-in news sources grouped by categories such as technology, world events, gaming, etc. From there, you can search for any other site you want to add. | http://aka.ms/WeaveMobile |
It will be an exciting time for Malaysia’s future as citizens decide the future of the country in what is being hailed as the most “closely watched” general election in Malaysian history.
