This is about us!


By Joan Lau
Managing Editor
The Malaysian Insider
May 05, 2013

KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 — Polling Day. It’s here at last. Today, we — the 13.3 million of us who are eligible to vote anyway — are going to determine what the next five years will be.

The last two weeks of campaigning has brought out the best and worst in not just the candidates but in us. The ones who were being wooed.

Some people say this has been the most contentious election ever because friends and even family members have fought with each other because of opposing views.

This has always been the case but now with Facebook and other social media available, the “fighting” just gets bigger and is spread faster.

But this, this is true democracy in action. Even before a single ballot has been cast, we already bear witness to the messy disagreements and ugly unfriendings on Facebook and elsewhere but it’s perfectly okay.

Finally, we are learning to voice out our opinions. We are learning to speak up. It doesn’t matter if you don’t agree with what your friend is saying. It really is okay that you think he is an idiot for supporting a certain candidate.

Out of this, we will hopefully learn how to disagree with each other. Living in harmony is a dream we were sold by our leaders for so many years. We were told that harmony means being quiet, swallowing our disagreements, eating our anger.

But there can be harmony even when there are loud disagreements. We just have to remember everybody has a right to an opinion, a choice. Then shout away.

GE13 also saw many Malaysians getting involved in droves: middle-class citizens signing up to be polling agents and volunteers, giving up precious family time to get trained for this important “job”; neighbours gathering together to make and “plant” multi-coloured flags all over the city and in Petaling Jaya to show they cared about these elections, this country.

For the first time. middle-class chatter was transformed into action. People broke out of their comfort zone to engage with each other. To do something for the greater good.

So no matter what happens today, the winner has already been determined: it is us.

And as we go to cast our votes today, let us remember just that. This is not about Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat. This is about us.

  1. #1 by Taxidriver on Sunday, 5 May 2013 - 8:46 am

    Best wishes to all candidates of Pakatan Rakyat. I have waited half my life for a good government to replace the corrupt, cruel and arrogant regime. Hope my long wait ends today. Ubah demi masa depan lebih cerah.

  2. #2 by yhsiew on Sunday, 5 May 2013 - 8:51 am

    Come May 5 change government!
    五月五, 政府换!

  3. #3 by boh-liao on Sunday, 5 May 2013 - 9:06 am

    YEAH, VOTED, X against DAP candidate!
    Got a dirty blue finger now, still better than AhCheatKor’s blooody n corrupt finger

  4. #4 by vsp on Sunday, 5 May 2013 - 10:47 am

    I have already voted and my finger was daubed with the so-called indelible ink. Reaching home, I immediately apply some Clorox on the finger and the ink was easily removed. Now I believe the “rumours” of the indelible ink being not indelible. What has the EC got to say?

  5. #5 by highhand on Sunday, 5 May 2013 - 10:53 am

    not asking you to make history
    but begging you to be on the right side of history

  6. #6 by yhsiew on Sunday, 5 May 2013 - 11:23 am

    Ini Kalilah!
    五月五, 换政府!

  7. #7 by Bigjoe on Sunday, 5 May 2013 - 2:03 pm

    Many many incidents of fraudelent voters..Even Chinese voters are fraudulent..Deputy IGP what Impossible?

    But voter turnout hitting record high.. At the current pace it will be way above 80% turnout…

  8. #8 by negarawan on Sunday, 5 May 2013 - 2:38 pm

    I cannot describe the incredible feeling of voting out BN/UMNO at the ballot boxes this morning.

  9. #9 by negarawan on Sunday, 5 May 2013 - 2:58 pm

    The way SPR managed the voting process is really a sham! At my voting center, one saluran has a very long queue, some people waiting for more than two hours, and another saluran has nobody and SPR officers goyang kaki. So, what kind of efficiency is this?? Several SPR officers, instead of going around helping voter to check if they are in the right queue, especially the old and frail, were sitting under the tree doing nothing. The way the ink is applied is also not standardized, some voters came out with ink all around their finger, making the risk of staining the ballot paper high, while some had the ink applied correctly on top of their finger. I saw at least one ballot paper inside the transparent box blotted with ink and could become a spoilt vote! Also, the fear of phantom voters has become a reality at many voting centres, even UMNO party member without EC badge allowed inside voting area to check IC, and genuine voters shocked to find that illegal voters had cast votes using their names!! Abdul Aziz, we’re going to kick your butt!!

  10. #10 by sheriff singh on Sunday, 5 May 2013 - 3:46 pm

    Why were some salurans empty ? Didn’t you see the ghosts entering to vote? Thousands of them just whizzed by this special lane.

  11. #11 by Winston on Sunday, 5 May 2013 - 4:01 pm

    Well, well, well.
    Don’t we all know the Devils’ Party all too well?
    Aren’t we associated with them for the past fifty-six years?
    Haven’t they been very blatant in their corruption, scams and scandals?
    And their racist and religious fanatics have been causing a lot of disgust to Malaysians?
    Even the two top racists have been nominated as candidates?
    If there are still voters who plumb for them, then somewhere, something must be seriously wrong with these people!!

  12. #12 by boh-liao on Sunday, 5 May 2013 - 4:30 pm

    Will history b made 2nite?
    Will former Pahang MB’s ear b sliced fr his face?

    2 AhCheatKor n EC chairman: What a blooody waste of $$$$ on d so-called ‘guaranteed’ no problem indelible ink! Certainly, lies n more lies – come hv a look at my finger

  13. #13 by sheriff singh on Sunday, 5 May 2013 - 4:36 pm

    R-A-H-M-A-eNd.

  14. #14 by ReformMalaysia on Sunday, 5 May 2013 - 4:38 pm

    boh-liao :
    Will history b made 2nite?
    Will former Pahang MB’s ear b sliced fr his face?
    2 AhCheatKor n EC chairman: What a blooody waste of $$$$ on d so-called ‘guaranteed’ no problem indelible ink! Certainly, lies n more lies – come hv a look at my finger

    The ink can be easily wash off within 10 minutes using COSWAY Laundry Pre-wash, kitchen scrubber sponge, cloth brush and 0.5 litre of tap water! I voted at 10.00 am, reached home at 10.15…. 100% washed off the so called “indeliable ink” by 10.25 a.m..

    Picture 1 (after voting, before washing): http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/w429/Mikalele_Putin/PRU13a.jpg?t=1367653647

    Picture 2 (after washing):
    http://i1075.photobucket.com/albums/w429/Mikalele_Putin/PRU13b.jpg?t=1367739161

  15. #15 by boh-liao on Sunday, 5 May 2013 - 5:05 pm

    5.00pm – voting OVER!
    Inshallah time! God Willing, in a few hours from now, Malaysia will hv a BRAND NEW gomen n brand new dawn, despite all d dirty tricks n cheating by UmnoB/BN n EC

  16. #16 by boh-liao on Sunday, 5 May 2013 - 5:06 pm

    5.00pm – voting OVER!
    God Willing, in a few hours from now, Malaysia will hv a BRAND NEW gomen n brand new dawn, despite all d dirty tricks n cheating by UmnoB/BN n EC

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