Friends and colleagues have been 'involved' in the run-up to the elections of the Sarawak Legislative Assembly where 217 seats are up for grabs. They've taken the time to post inspiring messages as well as videos showing huge turnouts at opposition camp's speeches. And my respect goes to a friend who is now stationed in some rural part of Sarawak with some other 50 peninsularians to help out with the elections. These people are not working for the Malaysian Election Commission (whose existence today is at best, redundant as they have rightfully given the impression that the institution is just another tool for the ruling party's iron grip). With most using their own money to be in Sarawak, their sole purpose to keep a hawk's eye over the polling stations' electoral boxes. They need to be there to ensure that election boxes do not suddenly 'increase' or appear out of nowhere with voting slips that are marked with ticks for the ruling party.
One then wonders what is wrong with the Malaysian Election system. Apparently everything.
While I've not done anything significant in respect of the Sarawak Elections, I had the unfortunate privilege of reading the local dailies. To my horror, it's just news after news showing how the federal government had the scruples to approve 'last-minute' allocations for among others, road constructions in Sarawak amounting to millions of ringgit in their bid to persuade the Sarawakians to keep their cronies in power for another term.
Why can't these 'improvement projects' be approved before the elections are announced? The fact remains that politicians always have this particular disease peculiar to them. They would only remember the citizens before they are confirmed in the seats of power. And once they are elected, it's YBs and party whips. Try reminding them who elected them in the first place and you'll probably get this reply - citizen who??
The Sarawak Elections is an example in point. Frankly, I could not even remember previous news that highlighted the ruling party's concern for the plight of poor Sarawakians stuck in some impoverished rural areas. They are at best, left forgotten when other parts of Malaysia are overwhelmed with development projects ( which by the way, are just legalised ways for certain parties to improve their bank accounts, probably Swiss ones, by leaps and bounds). Seriously, does it take a genius to show that the rural Sarawakians have been deprived of basic amenities (including the newly approved road constructions) all these while? And it's not coincidental that the federal government suddenly woke up from coma (conveniently in the last week prior to today's elections) and realised the deprivations that the rural Sarawakians had been accustomed to? Haha, Malaysians must be complete idiots to fall for this trick time and time again. And don't bother to ask what the Malaysian Election Commission has been doing. They're too busy getting distracted to notice the paramount rule i.e. to disallow any action that can be tantamount to vote buying has been violated by their Master.
Worst still, these brazen politicians have the audacity to remind citizens that there is nothing that the Opposition could do i.e. they don't have the power to approve last-minute allocations. That is obviously the case as the Opposition doesn't have access to the taxpayers' money. Is this fact too hard to be understood? How on earth can the federal government promise development using our hard-earned money to get Sarawakians to vote for the ruling party? M
Malaysians (and shamefully, few of my own relatives) must understand one very simple fact before we can participate in true democracy. The Government is separate from the political parties. A country's government stays whereas ruling parties come and go. While the Government may consist of members of the ruling party, it does not give them the right to use our money for their party's advantage! However, many Malaysians now have been brainwashed into thinking that if there is no BN, there is no government. Total bollocks even if Malaysia has been ruled by the ruling party since Independence. And to quote an insightful article which I cam across recently, the Sarawak Elections is really a warfare between the Opposition and the Federal Government, not BN.
Results from the Sarawak Elections are expected to be known by 8 p.m today. While I desperately want to see the change that must happen if we're ever to progress in the right political direction, I remain apprehensive. I foresee another (wrongly-earned) victory for the ruling party and yet another license for them to continue to plunder the country's resources for the benefit of a few.
If BN wins, then cries of 'Ngap Sayop' have failed. The fight only gets harder and more challenging when the seats of power are contaminated.
One then wonders what is wrong with the Malaysian Election system. Apparently everything.
While I've not done anything significant in respect of the Sarawak Elections, I had the unfortunate privilege of reading the local dailies. To my horror, it's just news after news showing how the federal government had the scruples to approve 'last-minute' allocations for among others, road constructions in Sarawak amounting to millions of ringgit in their bid to persuade the Sarawakians to keep their cronies in power for another term.
Why can't these 'improvement projects' be approved before the elections are announced? The fact remains that politicians always have this particular disease peculiar to them. They would only remember the citizens before they are confirmed in the seats of power. And once they are elected, it's YBs and party whips. Try reminding them who elected them in the first place and you'll probably get this reply - citizen who??
The Sarawak Elections is an example in point. Frankly, I could not even remember previous news that highlighted the ruling party's concern for the plight of poor Sarawakians stuck in some impoverished rural areas. They are at best, left forgotten when other parts of Malaysia are overwhelmed with development projects ( which by the way, are just legalised ways for certain parties to improve their bank accounts, probably Swiss ones, by leaps and bounds). Seriously, does it take a genius to show that the rural Sarawakians have been deprived of basic amenities (including the newly approved road constructions) all these while? And it's not coincidental that the federal government suddenly woke up from coma (conveniently in the last week prior to today's elections) and realised the deprivations that the rural Sarawakians had been accustomed to? Haha, Malaysians must be complete idiots to fall for this trick time and time again. And don't bother to ask what the Malaysian Election Commission has been doing. They're too busy getting distracted to notice the paramount rule i.e. to disallow any action that can be tantamount to vote buying has been violated by their Master.
Worst still, these brazen politicians have the audacity to remind citizens that there is nothing that the Opposition could do i.e. they don't have the power to approve last-minute allocations. That is obviously the case as the Opposition doesn't have access to the taxpayers' money. Is this fact too hard to be understood? How on earth can the federal government promise development using our hard-earned money to get Sarawakians to vote for the ruling party? M
Malaysians (and shamefully, few of my own relatives) must understand one very simple fact before we can participate in true democracy. The Government is separate from the political parties. A country's government stays whereas ruling parties come and go. While the Government may consist of members of the ruling party, it does not give them the right to use our money for their party's advantage! However, many Malaysians now have been brainwashed into thinking that if there is no BN, there is no government. Total bollocks even if Malaysia has been ruled by the ruling party since Independence. And to quote an insightful article which I cam across recently, the Sarawak Elections is really a warfare between the Opposition and the Federal Government, not BN.
Results from the Sarawak Elections are expected to be known by 8 p.m today. While I desperately want to see the change that must happen if we're ever to progress in the right political direction, I remain apprehensive. I foresee another (wrongly-earned) victory for the ruling party and yet another license for them to continue to plunder the country's resources for the benefit of a few.
If BN wins, then cries of 'Ngap Sayop' have failed. The fight only gets harder and more challenging when the seats of power are contaminated.
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