General Election Fever

Just about two weeks into the upcoming general elections, we as responsible Malaysians cannot help but feel the vibes and catch the fever.

After decades of uncertainty and instability that have somewhat affected our nation, the mandate has been kicked back at us as the rakyat once again.

At long last, it feels; the feeling of helplessness brought about by those political “frogs” playing around with the previous mandate we gave them during the last elections has been nauseating for us laymen, to say the least.

Which invariably brings us to the question; whom do we vote for?

The age-old dilemma is, should we vote based on the individual or based on the party (or coalition)?

Thankfully, the law against hopping parties has been passed.

However, unfortunately, it is silent on whether a whole party (or coalition) can change their allegiance once they have the block of MPs. They can still be the so-called “King Makers” to help the party with the greatest number of seats to jointly form the next government.

So, whether the new legislation is effective to prevent this undesirable act or whether there are loopholes to allow new tadpoles to turn into frogs remains to be seen.

"That should be fine", I hear you say.

But then, the government formed a resultant that might not resemble the one that you really wished for.

During the more “stable” good old days, you go into the polls quite sure of the result. The same coalition of parties based on race has been ruling the country since independence. So was another party based on religion, albeit their playground is limited to the eastern and northern states.

At that time, people voted based on the party.

So much so to the extent of, even if you put a tree trunk to become a candidate to contest under a certain party, that tree trunk was sure to win and become an MP. And when the results were announced, there was not much excitement. The outcome was more or less the same.

But all these changed after a certain Deputy Prime Minister was sacked. And the undercurrents flowed fiercely until they culminated in the 2018 elections where the supposedly invincible coalition government was brought down to its knees.

The rakyat was jubilant then.

It seemed that the political landscape in the country was finally reset into something that they wanted. But their joy was short-lived. It soon became evident that the new government that was formed wasn’t what they had hoped for in the first place.

This was further amplified when a few MPs hopped parties and they managed to form a new coalition government that looked very similar to the old, defeated government.

The rakyat was enraged. But there was little that they could do.

Fast forward, after three different Prime Ministers within one short term, we are asked to cast our vote again.

So, who should we vote for?

The first option can vote based on the resume, and track record, of the respective individual candidate. He or she could be a new face or the incumbent. After all, the general argument behind this school of thought is that, if you vote 222 good people into the Parliament, then the country should be in safe hands.

Well, not necessarily. Because the 222 good people might not come from the same party. And as we know, it is very hard to please everybody. So, it could still result in an unstable government because you have different heads carrying different purposes.

Then there are the considerations of whether the candidate is young or old, a Bumiputra or not, a gentleman or a lady, a professional or a worker, a local or a “parachuted” candidate. Even whether he or she is famous or good-looking. Unlike during the old times, the chances of a “Bebas” (Independent) candidate to win a constituency has never been better.

This brings us to the concept of having parties (and coalitions). Here, we pay more attention to the official manifestos that the party offers.

Although a manifesto is “not a Holy Book”, it is still how each party (or coalition) explains, offers, and lures the people to vote for them.

There is also another opinion.

For the State seat, you should vote a local figure. For the Parliament seat, you should vote someone who is deemed “close” to the would-be future Federal Government. Even more so when he is the possible future Prime Minister or any Minister for that matter. So that in the future your constituency will not miss out on any goodies offered.

In short, the coming elections would be the most exciting ones in the history of our nation.

We shall have the greatest number of candidates ever. Nearly 1000 in total. Some constituencies are seeing 6, 7, 8, 9, and even 10 cornered fights. And we have more political parties gathered in 4 major coalitions. And of course; more independent candidates. We even have some artists, internet influencers, and some controversial candidates.

Add to that the recent “Undi 18” thingy, meaning those who are the age of 18 and above are now eligible to vote. Which should be.

As they used to reason out long ago, how come at 18 a person is allowed to drive, and can enroll to become a soldier (hence technically allowed to shoot and kill), but are still not allowed to vote to choose their government?

This argument resonates loudly in the past decades.

So, with this “Undi 18” now allowed the whole ballgame changes. Suddenly there are millions of youthful voices that need to be calmed down. Especially during this post-Covid scenario, when unemployment and the gig economy are the major issues of concern and interest.

When youths prefer not to go to universities because a young doctor or lawyer fresh out of university earns around RM2,500 whilst a Grab driver earns around RM5,000 per month. So, they might as well enter the gig economy straightaway rather than waste their five years in universities struggling over exams and earning nothing, and incurring hefty scholarship loans.

Perhaps the most reasonable choice would be to see which party is the most serious in forming a government. We have no choice but to ignore individuals or parties that enter the competition just for the sake of competing, hoping to win and then become a “King Maker”.

And of course, the candidate or party who has a track record of corruption and party hopping is a definite no-no. And maybe not so much emphasis on parties that are supposedly championing the rights along the lines of race, religion, and locality. The focus should be on the economy and bread butter issues of the entire nation, across all races and all religions.

The ultimate “wildcard” would no doubt be the youth’s votes.

They represent a sizable proportion of the percentage. But the challenge would be how to get the youths to vote. Some are indifferent to which government rules the day.

Can we get them to heave themselves from the comfort of their beds and away from their video games on a wet Saturday to cast their vote?

Judging from all the above, the coming PRU15, which is just around the last lap, will be a very tough fight and stiff competition which is Free For All.

It can go either way. Yes, we are excited. And so should you.

Selamat Mengundi / Happy Voting, Malaysians!