Vote on 080308, I will

As I scrolled through the numerous websites and blogs over the last few days catching up on the latest election news in Bolehland before deciding who shall I vote for, boy oh boy, it was full of information, comments, news and what have you. For starters, I can be classified to fall into the typical “silent majority” Malaysian category who would once in every 5 years exercise the voting rights enshrined in the Malaysian constitution.

After having lived almost as long as Malaysia being an Independent country, I was never at all interested in politics neither do I care about who governs the country as long as there is peace, security, jobs, economic stability and all that has blue skies and everything nice. As it was then, the only source of news I got about the well-being of the country is through the main stream media. And guess what, I concluded that I have been systematically fed with information which I would call ‘biased journalism and editorial’ political brain-washing by those who walk in the corridors of power. How naïve of me, but then again, I reckon it was never too late to learn and move on. This lasted until the past 3 to 4 years or so when I started to get more information from the internet, both local and international sources, so that I can make a learned decision.

Come March 8, I am going to vote with an objective mind-set and with learned information to who can best addressed the issues facing the country and formulate actionable action plans to address the problems. Even though this is just my 1 vote, it is important to me as I am voting for my children (and their children too) for a better and brighter future in our beloved country, Malaysia.

1) Inflation, my hard earned money seems to be getting smaller and smaller with the rising prices of essential commodities, goods and services, like wise spiral cost of living
2) Corruption, Cronyism and Nepotism, I would want to see transparency, accountabilities and responsibilities of those who served as a public servants in the government. The roots to all evils begin here
3) Judiciary, I have no faith in the current system and I will vote for Judiciary Independence that does not “kow-tow” to the Executives
4) Security, I would want to have peace of mind when people closest to me can safely take a walk down the street. The crime rate now is at the highest ever in the history books. A total revamp of the Malaysian Police Force will be needed, those who really know how to protect and serve the public and not the political (note: I did not use PDRM, to me using the word “Di Raja” is an insult to our beloved Agung)
5) A big NO NO to racism and race based politics. Gone are the good old “muhibbah” days, but now, I see a lot of pretentious faces among Malaysians wherever I go
6) Real democracy, not for the one and only reason I am allowed to vote once in every five years or so as implied by some of the Ministers. What a shame!
7) Freedom of expression and religion enshrined in the constitution. We enjoyed this before the last 2 administrations took over the governance of the country. Look at what is happening today!
8) I am saying no to ISA, the authority of this act lies in the hand of just one man who can only abused, manipulate and oppressed
9) A total revamp of the EC, total transparency needed ensuring fair play

The list would have been longer, but this is what concerned me most for now. However, I am worried come voting day or the day after, it’s just a personal thought, will there be a racial disturbance in the making? I sincerely hope and pray my feeling is unfounded.