Overcome fear, vote for change

It’s election time again. And it’s the best time to see all the prepped-up photographs of the Yang Berhormats (YBs), and wannabe YBs, at every pillar, lamp and post, hung up with the hope of continuing their wealth-amassing banditry in the name of serving the people.

Our politicians know all to well that, with the help of a very compliant press, winning an election for the Barisan Nasional is nothing but a show that they put on every four or five years. Money is spent and the people are pleased by the immediate attention that their ‘sleepy hollows’ will get when all the big gun politicos from both sides of the divide come a-calling to ‘preach’ about the future.

We, the rakyat of this blessed country, are the ones that are to be blamed for our continued bewilderment with the ruling coalition since time immemorial. We are such a predictable lot that the politicians here think that it just takes knowing the right people, standing on the right ticket or throwing money to the rakyat to get elected.

This brings about the common election talk of ‘safe seats’ – a topic on which the ruling coalition is very good at discussing. We have a ‘safe seat’ phenomenon here that no other country can boast about. But it is we the rakyat who allow such talk and let these politicians dictate our lives for the next five years.

We must come out of this rut. We must let the government know that we cannot be taken for granted and that we will use the power of our vote to determine who should best represent us in the state assemblies and Parliament. Until and unless we, the rakyat, wake up and state that we will not be dumb fools, we will keep hearing the same old rigmarole that only the BN coalition can bring about the betterment of the people. We must learn to vote in other parties for the sake of change and allow new ideas of governance to be implemented for the betterment and welfare of the people.

The media's constant reminders that chaos will occur if the opposition garners support are nothing but the same old tricks at work during election time.

We seem to fear, and it is this fear that the ruling elites capitalise on for the sake of their continued dominance in the seats of power. We must learn to use the power of the vote to ensure that change takes place and to put a stop to corruption and the complete control of the executive over the other two state bodies (the judiciary and the legislature). Healthcare, education, the cost of living, religious sensitivities and, most precious of all, equality and freedom must be in our minds when we cast our votes.

If we, the people, are known to change the government once every two or three terms, the ruling elites will come down from their ivory towers and start treating us as equals. That must slowly start this election.

More seats must be won by the opposition so that the rakyat will slowly overcome the culture of fear that has been drilled into them by a compliant media and the state apparatus. With the exposure of corrupt practices in high and powerful seats of government, we the rakyat must not waste this upcoming opportunity.

P Dev Anand Pillai
Malaysiakini