Image: Vecteezy
Now that the people have cast their votes, we must make sure our victorious politicians walk the talk.
Start with what is right rather than what is acceptable. — Franz Kafka
IT has been a gruelling campaign and the most hard-fought election ever in Malaysia’s history, which conclusively proves that democracy is vibrant and thriving here.
Never has there been so many candidates vying for the 222 seats in Parliament.
The many multi-cornered fights reveal that politics is no longer the monopoly of big parties, and that every Malaysian can have their chance to prove their worth in the elections.
The days of the government securing a two-thirds majority are also over, not just in Malaysia but in other democracies as well, because citizens don’t want their governments to have overwhelming authority.
While emotions have poured out in torrents during the two weeks of campaigning, it’s now time for Malaysians to move forward as the nation has made its choice.
Politics has always divided people. In most instances, the divisions affect ordinary supporters the most as they are rarely privileged to see how quickly top leaders are ready to strike deals.
To many politicians, principles are mere flexible commodities, despite their lofty preaching at rallies.
After all, isn’t that what Italian philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli said in his book, The Prince – that the end justifies the means, where a good outcome excuses any wrongs committed to attain it?
Politics is about power, although we have repeatedly heard our politicians say that they are fighting for our interests and that of the country’s.
Almost all our political parties and politicians have, at one point or another, cooperated with each other, but most supporters either don’t see it or don’t recall their previous pacts.
They have all hugged and kissed each other much more than their supporters, who still foolishly harbour misgivings about each other for their political choices, which is unfortunate.
Many candidates, despite their poor record, have become angels overnight simply because they’ve swapped party uniforms.
Many of us lose our objectivity when it comes to politics. There’s just either too much black or too much white. The truth is, there are good personalities in every party.
We hope Malaysia will be able to focus on action, policies and principles as we move forward.
The country must transcend fanatical personality worship and incessant uncouth name-calling and bashing, which is sadly rampant on social media.
But that’s democracy. It’s not the most perfect system since it can sometimes be chaotic, but it’s still one where the people are given the opportunity to make a choice.
A democracy is about voting in the party or candidate you pick. That’s why we have elections, and everyone is entitled to make known their preferences.
Malaysia is still a transitional democracy. We haven’t reached the mature stage where politicians and supporters are able to debate policies intelligently, since many still prefer political entertainment at rallies.
But we will eventually come to it because debates and discussions among candidates have become more acceptable.
More importantly, Malaysians are tolerant people and receptive to the results of elections.
GE14 in 2018 is an ideal example. The ruling Barisan Nasional accepted its defeat and the end of its 60-year reign.
The leaders, including Datuk Seri Najib Razak, accepted the defeat gracefully, knowing that the newly installed Pakatan Harapan would punish him for the 1MDB scandal, leading to his eventual charging.
There were no riots even as many Malaysians celebrated Pakatan’s victory in the streets.
Over the past few days, some Singaporean friends messaged me asking if it was safe to visit Malaysia after GE15 since many media reports were highlighting a close fight.
I dismissed their fears because I’ve always believed in the Malay-sian spirit. This is a largely middle-class country where people have jobs to return to, so no one has the time to stage drawn-out street protests.
We trust our electoral system. While doubts abound about the impartiality of the Election Commission, the results have always been accepted by both sides.
After all, the Opposition has won and retained states like Penang, Selangor and Kelantan repeatedly. Big names from the ruling parties have even been defeated by unknowns.
Whatever the outcome of GE15, whether it’s convincing or inconclusive, the winner is the rakyat.
We have all participated and voted according to our choices, and we have proven to the world that democracy is alive and well in Malaysia. And more importantly, that we respect each other’s choices.
And thank God, finally, our WhatsApp chat groups will no longer be hijacked by overzealous campaigners who forget that if it’s a chat group to talk about food or reminisce about good old times in school, it should remain that way.
On the bright side, it’s good that Malaysians are passionate and care for the future of our nation.
We could have chosen to be indifferent and not care to vote. But Malaysia has decided.
We have done our part. Now, let’s leave it to the politicians to sort it out. But we need to continuously check on them, even after the elections, and remind them that we are the boss.
They aren’t our bosses and it’s we who put them there. So stop showing off with your police outriders and the convoy of cars of supporters.
The real winners of GE15 are us – the voters.
