THE very fact that Malaysians have suddenly become reluctant or disinterested to cast their vote on national polling day this Nov 19 – even though this is only a five-year once obligation – is a very disturbing attitude to Parti Bangsa Malaysia’s (PBM) deputy president Haniza Mohamed Talha.
During her campaign trails in the Hulu Selangor parliamentary constituency and even prior to the dissolution of Parliament, Haniza who is also the Lembah Jaya state assemblywoman (no state election in Selangor) said she has received a lot of feedback from the public that they are not so interested in the 15th General Election (GE15).
“In fact, many said they would not come out and vote,” she pointed out in a statement. “Some of them asked me, ‘Why should I vote in GE15? Nothing is going to change’. PBM and I are deeply concerned by such political apathy.”
For the record, Haniza will be engaged in a six-corner fight for the Hulu Selangor parliamentary seat against Dr N. Sathia Prakash (Pakatan Harapan/PH), Datuk T. Mohan (Barisan Nasional/BN), Mohd Hasnizan Harun (Perikatan Nasional/PN), Harumaini Omar (Pejuang) and Azlinda Baroni (Independent).
In the 2018 national poll, Leow Hsiad Hui of Keadilan (PH) won the seat with a majority of 13,391 votes. The constituency has 154,317 registered voters for GE15.
While she understood that many registered voters are disillusioned with political development in the country, Haniza stressed that choosing not to vote is a dereliction of voters’ democratic responsibility.
“One should not get carried away by emotions and dejection by choosing to stay away from the ballot boxes in GE15. Voting is the most fundamental and important duty of a citizen in any democratic system,” she asserted.
“In Malaysia, the opportunity comes only once every five years and it is then that we get to choose who we want as our leaders.”
Haniza went on to caution that if potential voters still decide against coming out to vote on polling day, then they might be giving a free pass to irresponsible leaders to govern.
“We may have to then put up with incompetent leaders,” she suggested. “In this respect, I am appealing to voters to give PBM a chance. As a multi-racial party which prioritises on women and youth empowerment, PBM is not weighed down by political baggage like how some political parties are.”
In Haniza’s words, voting for PBM equals to breaking away from the old politics that have hampered Malaysia’s progress all these years while injecting a new lease of life at a time when the country has become more divisive and need to become more competitive in an increasingly globalised era.
“My plea to Malaysians in the coming GE15 is to go out and vote come polling day. Your vote matters not just for yourself, but for your future generations,” she added. – Nov 10, 2022
