Filed under: malaysiana
Earlier this week I told bacon that I sense a change of wind – something is happening and there is nothing anyone can do to stop it. The winds of change are disturbing the peace, unmasking what lies behind the fallen leaves.
I have refrained from political commentary for as long as possible – thus not many readers know that the past two months I have been reading up vocariously on Malaysia’s moment of truth – it is election day!!!
And news is now streaming through that the Opposition, for the first time in history, has managed to upset the scales of justice represented by the ruling party, Barisan National (BN). At the moment it is predicted that the ruling party will lose their 2/3 majority required to change the constitution – with key states like Penang (where I was born) and Selangor (where I live) falling into Opposition’s ruling party. The undercurrent of fear now is that the last time BN failed to achieve 2/3 majority but still enough to form a government was in 1969. Racial riots erupted in Malaysia and the whole country was in a state of emergency until 1971. This is one of the reasons my parents had always voted – having experienced the last time the country was in ‘real deep shit’ , they understand the need for democracy.
Other interesting news includes Malaysia’s premier blogger winning a Parlimentary seat! The winds of change are indeed strong – Jeff Ooi had been my major source of political commentary since I started blogging and it is extremely heartening to see him doing something to better our beloved country – winning is the cherry on top.
For more election news, click here. Lillian does a very good job covering the election day frevor that swept through Penang as well – always a contentious state anyway due to the large presence of the main Opposition party, DAP.
On a more personal note, I am extremely upset that I am unable to vote due to BN’s rules that unless you are in the army, postal votes do not exist. I had been hoping since early this year that election day may coincide with my trip home, but no such luck. If I knew it was going to be today, I would have even postphoned my trip so I can be one of the minions in this machinery called democracy.
I realized something disheartening when I was last back home – most people my age are not even registered to vote!!! The only person I know of that had actually bothered to register was dreybee….with all my other friends raising their eyebrows in suprise when I told them that not only was I registered, I had voted once in the 2004 election. China Post summarizes my feelings much better than me.
The apathy is appaling. Registering to vote was one of the first thing I did when I returned from California. Due to me belonging to a Commonwealth country, I am also proud to say that I had voted here in the UK in the local elections – again, one of the first thing I did when I moved here was to put myself on the Electrol Roll.
I do not understand.Saya tak faham. Wo pu ming pai. I do not understand the people of my generation complaining about the state of the country, the recent riots, the horrible civil service and the world’s worst police force. They dream of a day when Malaysia is the harmonious country it claims to be, the day when the ethnic chinese and the indians are treated like part of the country rather than second class citizens trodden by the obvious reverse affimitive action designed to give the bumiputeras an upperhand advantage in education, housing and jobs. And what do they do about it other than rant? Nothing. Cannot even be bothered to register to vote.
So I challenge you my readers. No matter where your passport says you belong to, put yourself on the Electrol Roll of your country. Democracy only works if you lend a helping hand, no amount of endless whinging will change the world.
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Bravo. You have expressed almost exactly what I am feeling.
It is time for a change. A shake up to the present Govt to buck up or ship out.
If only..
Comment by mirebella 03.08.08 @ 11:40 pmYeah been hearing the news since last night – amazing changes up ahead. Let’s see some real changes happen. And yeah – it’s bloody awesome how opposition voters were rallied to vote!
Comment by mooiness 03.09.08 @ 12:28 pmI’m rather elated at the results. Malaysia & Malaysians shall never be taken for granted.
I completely agree with you on the apathy of our fellow citizens. I’m very sad that I’ve never voted once because I’ve been away for the last 10 years since I turned 18 (never have the chance to register in the electorate). Not being able to vote crushes me every single time when there’s an election. I’ve watched so many elections as a child and then somemore in two other countries. The right to vote for a better government is such a great exercise. To think that some people give up such right.
Comment by Lisa Y 03.09.08 @ 12:59 pmmirebella: I hope the cockiness of the current regime will pave way for a more down to earth govt.
moo: Yeah I think if we would’ve formed our own political party LIKE WE DISCUSSED and joined the opposition alliance, we too would have been voted in!
Lisa: For our sakes I hope that sometime in the future postal votes would be considered for every rakyat, not only those who are in the army or studying abroad. It is not fair to again treat us like second class citizens just because we are not physically there – announcing the election day less than a month before the actual date really DOES NOT HELP in travel plans that require several hours of flight time and changes.
Malaysia is now, hopefully, truly BOLEH
Comment by sourrain 03.09.08 @ 9:21 pmOR maybe make it mandatory for every eligible citizen like Australia. Then, postal vote will be in force! Citizen should be informed of their right to vote. Boleh lah ! 
I am a Penangite. Every Penangite has sensed the winds of change the whole time… so it’s surprising when a lot of the politions claimed that they were not aware of it?!?!
Look at how arrogant all the Gerakan leaders were – squabbling over the CM seat when the election hadn’t even begun then? And now look – not a single one of them has the right to the post. They sure had underestimated the Opposition… As they said, “Pride comes before fall”.
I feel for the Opp like LKS, LGE and Karpal. They have done so much and it finally pays off.
Hope they will bring Penang to another level and prove to the coalition that the Opp too can successfully govern Penang.
Lisa: Yes, I think it should. That way the rakyats won’t be able to blame anyone else for the state of their country other than their own bad choice.
mavis: It’s really serve them right.
What was funnier is that I attended a CNY event in Penang which the Gerakan’s top guns ‘graced’ with their long winded speeches and pre-nomination political campaigning. Mr Koh’s appearance also meant that we had to wait 20 minutes extra for him to arrive before starting the festivities – his subsequent long winded yawn inducing speech was cut short by someone ‘accidentaly’ setting off a row of firecrackers! Even that night I could feel a change in the air….with the top guns boasting about how they have saved the village thus we must vote for them,it incensed me even more to see the state of the island that they have brought to ruins, not once giving a damn of what Penangnites really want.
One of the squabblers for the Penang CM seat is also – tragically enough, a far relation that I had never met before. He has now been voted out his post in Penang together with his other friends
Comment by sourrain 03.10.08 @ 1:25 pm[...] are disturbing the peace, unmasking what lies behind the fallen leaves. I have refrained from politihttp://www.sourrain.com/2008/03/08/malaysia-is-really-boleh/No Mortage Funds Available – House Price Crash forumApr 2, 2008 … He is 25 years of age no CCJ and [...]
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