Letter to editor
A READER of FocusM recently wrote why he had initially wanted to boycott the polls, “I wanted to stay out of the polls to punish PH in Selangor for being complacent and failing to keep to the original promises”.
Offering another alternative by casting a spoilt vote, another reader wrote: “(#UndiRosak) is the only way for our leaders to sit up and listen to the rakyat and push through the reforms they had promised in the past.”
Both Perikatan Nasional (PN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH) have overkilled the enthusiasm that should come from the people themselves.
Unlike in the past when people rallied behind civil society leaders such as Pak Samad, Ambiga Sreeneevasan and the late Harris Ibrahim, many of these civil society leaders are already suffering from political fatigue. Some are frustrated.
Both coalitions are taking it to the social media to fight each other every hour of the day. One uses the 3R (race, religion and royalty), the other has the upper hand to deal with their political rivals. The tall order is to sue for defamation.
A former prime minister even went against his own Vision 2020 to spew out venom against other legitimately born-in-Malaysia citizens, calling them pendatang or immigrants. He must have been stuck in the era of his own grandfather who migrated from Kerala, India.
Therefore, despite Opposition leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin giving his assurance that people of all races will be treated fairly, few would believe his words given the amount of 3R speeches from his fellow colleagues in both PAS and Bersatu.
Manifesto upon manifesto
Before an election, both sides can craft out nicely-worded manifesto and promises were made; after being in power, it is all status quo.
Whatever it is, instead of boycotting or casting spoilt votes, every voter has a responsibility to cast his or her vote on the polling day; this is the right of every citizen not to go to the dogs.
While DAP supremo Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang “rubbishes” PN’s claim that the unity government would collapse if PN wins all six states, the truth is that if the state governments in each of these states continue to do business-as-usual, eventually this would snowball into a tsunami that hits the corridors of power at Putrajaya.
Assuming, for example, if the three-term Selangor State government continues to ignore the troubled waters under the bridge, this would eventually erode the urban vote base for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government come the next general election in 2027.
The rakyat do not want to be snubbed anymore; or, they will snub the politicians in return.
During the last few weeks, a number of red flags have been raised by Selangorians – from the PJD-Link protest to the way how a local council handled the case of a senior citizen who was only trying to protect his dogs from being dragged into the council vehicle.
Although Selangor may be one of the richest states in the country, the quality of public amenities is still below par due to alleged corruption and wastages at the local government level.
Unless both the state and Local Government Development Ministry seeks to urgently reform the third tier of government, eventually it is the lackadaisical attitude of the local councils and other government agencies that will eventually cause the downfall of the unity government.
For this reason, for two consecutive nights beginning this evening, MYPJ chairperson Jeffrey Phang has organised two separate events which allow voters to ask very serious questions directly to the candidates. Only one candidate for N34 Bukit Gasing has turned down the invitation.
Phang told FocusM this based on this modus operandi for future campaigning by politicians, people in Petaling Jaya will know who to vote. “It is pointless for these candidates to meet the people on the streets, shake their hands and after the election, they just disappear,” he lamented. “Ceramah is just unidirectional form of communication.”
Voters want a government that is discreet in spending public funds, making sure that there is return on investments for every ringgit spent instead of politicians who spend hundreds of millions when the returns are hardly justified.
Performances by former state assemblymen who preferred to stay aloof from the people have also dampened the hopes of the voters to see reforms in the state. Even when a new candidate is appointed, the performance is not assured. This is why people feel it is no point going out to vote.
What the country needs
PN will also not be spared if it behaves like its counterpart in the northern states. What the country needs is institutional reforms and a cleaner government.
The electorate in the upcoming state polls do not want an elected representative who only toes the party line instead of listening to the voices of the people.
This is one of the major reasons why many outstation voters are not bothered to return to vote.
While elected representatives can enjoy big salaries and perks, voters have their own family commitments with money being a constraint for them to spend on travelling home just to cast the ballots. – Aug 8, 2023
Johnson Lee
Petaling Jaya
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
