#41: My Thoughts On General Election 14 (GE14)

I’ve been caught in a whirl of work, meetings and discussions over the past weeks, so when the news first broke out on the announcement of the 14th General Election I was kinda feeling like meh???

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Forgive me for feeling as such

The upcoming general election has been one of the most talked about subject in our get togethers with family members, close friends and colleagues for the longest of time and when it finally did happen, it was nothing new to me anymore.

It had been reduced to just a matter of time

And the thought of the general election being held right smack in the middle of a working week in the second quarter of the year, was not only inconvenient for most Malaysians who are working in the country, but also to those who are working abroad who had to make travel plans to come back to vote. Not to mention the unnecessary travel expenses too.

As I boarded my train to head home after a quick meeting with my business partner yesterday, I had the opportunity to reflect over the state of the country and what kind of future I envision for myself and my loved ones.

For most Malaysians who were born in the 80’s, we were fortunate enough to live through the rule of three Prime Ministers including the current caretaker Prime Minister. We bore witness to the leadership and policies that these prime ministers have implemented over the years. When Vision 2020 was first casted by Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamed back in the 90’s, I remembered penning down my hope for the country in my exam papers and the progress the country would have achieved. And I scored an A for it too!

More than two decades later, in the year 2018 with only two years to go before Vision 2020 I must confessed Malaysia is nowhere near what my 17 year old self had envisioned it to be. With the rising cost of living, low wages, high inflation rates, influx of foreign workers in the country and the increasing crime rates, my hopes waned with each passing year.

If you are like me, you must have read, seen and heard enough news of scandals, corruption disguised as “donation”, money laundering, blatant and outright abuse of power in the press to last you for decades to come. And you would probably have grown tired, numbed and jaded over time and stopped following or read the mainstream media simply because you are sick of the whole charade being rehashed over and over again.

So when I was having teh tarik (pulled tea) with a group of leaders after facilitating a workshop shortly after the announcement of GE14, I lamented over the sad state of affairs of the nation. I didn’t even felt like returning to my home state to vote as I didn’t feel there was any leader who is capable enough to restore Malaysia back to its former glory. It was then a senior leader turned to me, looked me straight in the eye and said:

If you don’t cast your vote which is your birthright as a citizen of this country, then others will decide it for you

And he is right

According to a news report by The Star, a leading English daily stated that there are 4.2 million Malaysians who are eligible to vote but they have not registered to do so. This is a significant number!

Imagine if all of the 4.2 million Malaysians registered and turned up to vote. It would have changed the course of this nation!

While we can all cry foul and scream injustice over unfair government policies, but if we do not even exercise our right as a Malaysian citizen to vote, what right do we have to complain or murmur of the injustice that we read about on a daily basis?

As a rakyat (citizen in Bahasa Malaysia) or commoner so to speak, our strongest voice is through the ballot box. We do not have millions stashed somewhere in the Swiss bank accounts, neither are we the lucky recipient of billion-dollar donations. And if the voice of the former premier, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamed also fell on deaf ears what more is the voice of a commoner like you and me?

So what can you and I do?

We Go Out There and Vote

Because #OurVoteMatters

Every.Single.One.Of.It

Our vote will decide the fate, the future and the destiny of this country and the generations to come

If you are serious about change and you desire to see change, then I really urged you and every Malaysian to go out in full force and VOTE. And to top it off, vote wisely too. Vote for the representative with a track record that can truly represent YOUR voice in the Parliament. One who walks the talk.

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For the record, I’ve registered to vote since I was 21 years old and have so far only missed voting once due to my tertiary studies. GE14 will also mark the last time I will be voting in my home state. While I have mixed feelings about it, I realised it was time for me to move on and make my vote count in a place where I have come to call home (Kuala Lumpur) for the last 13 years.

So, if you are still debating and wondering if you should vote or otherwise, then I implore you to jump off the fence you are on and do your part as a citizen of this country and make your voice heard.

Because if you don’t, other’s will

And guessed what they have for you?

nothing

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KarinzDailyGrind is back in her home state with her family members and she is all geared up to exercise her responsibility and her duty as a Malaysian citizen to vote. She will be watching the results of the general election closely as GE14 will decide the future and the outcome of the country for the next 5 years and beyond.

Her wish is to see Malaysians setting aside their differences and work towards a common goal to steer the country forward. And it all starts by doing that one thing #VoteForChange

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