by KJ John
Malaysiakini
11:13AM Apr 30, 2013

We are coming into our 13th general election. I have voted every time since I was 21, unless I was not in the country. This time we have a large number of younger Malaysians who are voting. Except for my youngest, all my other five children (including one spouse; the other is an American) are eligible to vote.

Therefore, I want to write an open letter to all younger Malaysians on what criterion I will use to vote in this general election. My last nine columns were also focused on this general election and the processes of electioneering. Please review them, and if needed, drop me a note to my private email address and I will be glad to give a response!

When we officially launched OHMSI, our NGO, we framed the topic for the launch as: ‘Was Jesus Political?’ Even my home congregation dared not host the launch because they considered the topic “too political!” The pastor even had a doctor of philosophy (PhD) or doctor of ministry (D Min) degree. So much for thoughtful Christianity.

Being partisan versus being political

All humans are political from birth. For example, with our first child we struggled to teach him the principle that ‘the oven is hot;’ so, please do not touch it. All our lectures (he was a nine-month-old and therefore they including screaming and spankings) fell on his back like water on a duck’s back. He still had a mind and heart of his own; a political animal?

One day, he learnt the lesson himself, without us as teachers, except we had to extend tender loving care (TLC) and huggy mummy’s love. But he understood about being political and then learnt some hard lessons about our human ways of life. He never touched the oven again.

Even George W Bush framed his war cry as: “You are either with me or against me.” It is a false framing of issues. There is always a third choice in any given problem situation. Bush’s is only a very partisanship appeal. Only God speaks like that; in categorical terms.

Being political is making a time and space intervention, but which leads to a distortion or changes in consequent events. Heisenberg established the uncertainty principle to argue the same in relation to physical sciences and thereby dismissed the so-called “objectivity of modern science argument”.

13th GE issues and concerns

What are the three most important issues facing all Malaysians in the coming General Elections? I list them in the order of priority to me, and how I will make my choice to vote in this coming general election.

Bribery and Corruption

We claim to be an Islamic country, but are still ambivalent when it comes to issues of bribery and corruption. The most recent Merdeka Centre study found that Corruption is the No 1 concern of all Malaysians.

All International studies that rate and rank corruption in some form of index has reflected the same macro indicators; Malaysia has been falling lower and lower, even since Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (Pak Lah) declared a war on bribery and corruption, which I have called the ABC of Malaysian Life. He popularised the word “integrity” into the Malaysian vocabulary and even set up what is probably the only Integrity Institute in the world.

MACC or its governors have not even responded to the public statements by the chief minister of Sarawak berating MACC officials and its reputation. Why?

Moreover, the BN chooses to nominate two candidates who have either been proven to be corrupt, or at least charged and not yet fully cleared by the MACC. And yet, we have a former prime minister who speaks with impunity about an Islamic state, when he abused this nation with his BCA Agenda; which became all of rhetoric and with zero substance. He therefore fears that Ustaz Abdul Hadi Awang may become the next prime minister.

Integration with Integrity

No nation is today an island unto itself. Our borders are porous and our national integrity will be defined by the electronic sovereignty of this nation-state. We gave lectures on this more than 15 years ago; even to the police headquarters.

The integrity of the American nation was recently violated by the two Chechnyan brothers who are now full-fledged American citizens. The US has some integration but without integrity.

In Malaysia our integrity issue is: are we Malaysians first and foremost? It is our identity as a nation-state. If we have a deputy prime minister (DPM) who says he is Melayu first, and Malaysian second, he deserves to not be voted in.

I will vote against any candidate in this GE who says that he is, first and foremost an ethnic person before our nationality. We are all Malaysians first; in fact, all those who are below 50 years old are Malaysian and only Bangsa Malaysians. Therefore I call us, 1BangsaMalaysians. Therefore, let us all reject racism in any form.

We must reject all forms of racism; whether in religious colour, as witnessed with some Perkasa-type members, or in the Hindraf form.

Sure we must and will always cherish our own ethnicity and religious faiths, but that is a private and community matter that needs not rear its head in public discourse. Therefore vote out all shades and colours of racists; wherever they are found.

Personal integrity and reputation

My last column gave all readers seven reasons to vote for the right candidate at the GE. Yes, we need to do some homework; write to the candidate by email, and if they do not reply, please do not vote for them. Yes also to Brother Goh Keat Peng, who commented on my Facebook page, Truth Matters, about voting for people with party affiliation and not just individuals who are independents. I agree.

Therefore also, my personal appeal to Simon Lee, the son of late Edward Lee, to stand down, unless you are fulfilling your father’s personal wish for you to take over. But, let me caution Simon that he never told me about the same.

Given that DAP has been given the seat by Pakatan, my suggestion is that you not challenge the “system”. Your father got into politics after a lifetime of public service; he was above most parties and all personalities. He did not even succumb to “offers by the BN to cross over”.

In conclusion, to all Anak Bangsa Malaysians, I appeal that you vote for a Malaysia free of Bribery and Corruption of all forms and shades, which I call a vote Against Bribery and Corruption, or ABC4Malaysians. May God continue to bless Malaysia with real change.