My thoughts on Malaysia's 12th General Election.
The sun rises over my beloved island.
Music: Foo Fighters - Times Like These (click to download)
Today, 3 March 2008, marks another day or should I kindly put it, another chance for all Malaysians to cast their vote on who they think should lead this country for the next half a decade.
After enduring half a century through hope, the fires have been stifled and instead of coming out champs, the nation is now facing a crisis after falling away in all aspects (from education to trade) against other ASEAN countries. Huge segments of Malays and minorities thought they've earned their stripes but it was not to be. This is what aggravates the thoughts of hardworking citizens here. An evidently corrupted government and an utterly flawed system that indirectly supports racial discrimination, the fall we Malaysians experience today shouldn't be tolerated anymore as we cast our votes as early as eight in the morning.
For the past fortnight or so, many Malaysians have had first-hand experience with the dirty politics that have been omnipresent every time the ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional, calls for a major election. Everywhere I look, there is no fair election in sight. However, looking on the bright side, I am honestly very pleased to see unity amongst races when I've attended several talks organised by the opposition parties namely, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), led by our former deputy Prime Minister Dato' Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim. Some people around me who aren't Muslims were even in tears and when asked they told me that it is a profoundly humbling sight to see this form of unity without loyalty to parties (i.e: Chinese community voting for MCA, Gerakan and Indians voting for MIC ).
Moving forward with a change is what everyone should seek for. There is nothing to lose by throwing the opposition party some support. They are passionate about the nation so I think these people deserve some credit for their fresh vision of a better tomorrow.
I executed my vote at 0820 hours. Have you?
UPDATE @ 9 Mar, 0300hrs: The opposition parties have emerged victorious in Penang, Kedah, Kelantan, Perak and Selangor!
Parliamentary candidates from opposition parties have also gained a good number of votes to represent the nation although inadequate enough to form a new government (Barisan Nasional 62%, Opposition 37%). Barisan Nasional, the ruling coalition will remain in power with a crippled MIC (Malaysian Indian Congress). I sincerely hope that the opposition parties will put in a few good Indian candidates for some seats in the Parliament.
Guess we shouldn't be hearing a lot of generic political speeches from Barisan Nasional anytime soon. Here's to a balanced and united Malaysia!
