Vote, damn it
By KEITH LEONG
Malaysian youths are apathetic toward politics, according to recent media coverage. They are not registering to vote.
Of course, the Malaysian media occasionally has a rather hyperactive attention span. However, they might be on to something here. I’ve not done a survey, but I dare say that only a few of my peers will actually bother registering to vote when they turn 21. They will probably be too busy with their studies or budding careers, or too cynical about Malaysia’s state of affairs.
Some people might even think that it’s rather foolish, to criticise non-voters for their lack of enthusiasm in the democratic process.
I am a proud, registered voter for the Petaling Jaya Utara Parliamentary constituency and the Damansara Utama State Assembly seat. I registered earlier last year (2005) before leaving Malaysia to study abroad for my final year. I was delighted to find myself registered in the SPR website.
I did, however, register a year after turning 21. The reason for the delay was because I was in Australia. I did not know that I could register at a Pos Malaysia office any time of the year. Had I realised this, I would have done so when I was back home for the holidays.
Voting is an essential, integral part of citizenship in any country. People in countries with less sanguinary histories than ours fought and died for this right. We only need to look at the Civil Rights Movement and the struggle for women’s suffrage in the United States, and in other countries.
Sci-fi novel turned cult movie Starship Troopers begins with the premise that the youth of the future will be required to undergo active military service in exchange for voting and citizenship rights. The right to vote is the clearest and most authentic sign of having a stake in the land. It is just as, or perhaps even more important than obtaining a MyKad or passport.
We should give voting a chance in Malaysia. It might not change anything. But it is crucial that we exercise this right. Afterall, “belum cuba belum tahu.”
The moment has come, and Malaysian youth must take a stand. If we are, as the patriotic songs bandy about constantly, the leaders of the future, it’s high time we take on the responsibilities of leadership. This includes participating in the election process.
Nevermind for whom or for what party. Voting enriches democracy and invigorates the political life of a country. It can be cool, hip and happening.
However, the ball isn’t solely in our court. There is a lot that the government can do to strengthen and expand our democratic process.
What about lowering the voting age?
We are already sending 17- and 18-year-olds for National Service. What better way to cap the completion of their training than with the right to vote?
How about a popularly elected Senate and restoring the vote for Local or Municipal Councils? Why not establish upper legislative houses in all states? Why not, like certain countries, subject the appointment of judges and police officers to electoral or legislative confirmations? And would it kill us to hold referendums on at least some policies?
So stop reading this rant, head to your local post office and register to vote! There is this wonderful music video playing in my head now - it’s Eminem’s “Mosh.” He looks like he is about to commit an act of politically motivated violence, but instead leads a horde of underclassmen and women to the polling booths.
In a world racked by political uncertainty and the rule of the gun, voting is a powerful defiance. We should vote for freedom and peace.
You can make a difference in that sense. Perhaps a small difference, but a difference none the less. Every vote counts.
—
KEITH LEONG is a contributing writer for theCICAK.
He will receive a BA in English this March from the University of New South Wales. He currently lives in Damansara Jaya. His writing has appeared in various publications. He enjoys long walks and baroque music.
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Comment of the week
I defend my right as a Malaysian to talk about anything that concerns Malaysia.
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The problem is not apathy, but rather the difficulty of finding information regarding the voting procedure. Just as an example, I’m turning 21 this year. I’m currently studying in the U.K, and I have no idea who to call or what to do to become a registered voter. If you can lucidly explain the procedure step by step, then I promise you that my vote would be cast.
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Ahmad,
Well, you could wait like I did and then go to any Post Office when you’re back in Malaysia. The SPR is also talking about implementing online voter registration in the near future. If you want to do it in Britain, I think our High Comission would be the best place to do so.
Incidentally, seeing as how Malaysia is in the Commonwealth of Nations (making us Commonwealth citizens) you would also be eligible to vote in the British elections, though that apparently goes against our own citizenship laws.
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ur advise and concern makes me think i shoud go out there to register… But your statement in paragraph 8… “It might npt change anything”…
i really gave it a dep thaught and damn u man.. it really dosent change anything here in Malaysia. Eeverything is done for bumi’s. The only thing they wanted from non bumi is the VOTE. So what the hack man…
There r a lot of them out there who r behind me, feeling hurt deep down them as they cant even get a study loan for their future.
so… plse. do not even persuade them
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It is not apathy, neither is it ignorance. It is the lack of initiative. Initiative that is sorely lacking in A LOT (not all) young people. It’s scary because in less than a few years, this are the very same people that will determine the fate and direction of this country. And it’s scary because they are still talking and behaving like children instead of adults.
Don’t say “I don’t know where to go”. Say “I’ll find out.”
Embassies exist for a reason. And so does the Internet. Less than five minutes of googling and I got a hit on the Elections Commission of M’sia: http://www.spr.gov.my
I registered via a portal booth set up during one of the roadshows at Mid-Valley Megamall before flying off to Australia. I double-checked if I was really registered online. One and a half years later, I came back and the first thing I did was cast my vote (in the previous election).
The excuse that my peers gave me when I asked if they voted was this: Don’t know how to register. Don’t know where to go. I just don’t know what to do.
My say: If you’re still using the words “I don’t know” at 21, what makes you think you’re ready for making a big decision like voting? And what the hell is that bloody big and advanced brain (plus education) of yours for? FIND OUT. Don’t just rely on other people to spoonfeed you with info.
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To Mei:
In my humble opinion, I asked the question innocently enough. I did not know all the facts in this case and therefore asking someone who knows more would be the most efficient way to keep myself up to speed.
I would also like to disagree with you, in the sense that not knowing the procedure does not imply that I am incompetent at assessing the relative merits of our political parties.
And I feel that is was unnecessarily abrasive of you to accuse me of being on the receiving end of a spoon.
(the SPR FAQ doesn’t cover overseas voting… will call the High Commission this week)
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About overseas voting (and/or postal voting), I’m not too sure if you want to do that.
There would be concerns about the secrecy of your vote.
And goodness knows if it will be counted (properly). For example, in the recent Pengkalan Pasir by-elections, while there were only 195 registered postal voters, 212 votes were received.
And Ahmad, I don’t think you’d be studying in Britain for that long. More likely than not, general elections aren’t due till 2008/2009. So it is unlikely for you to miss it.
When you return for any of the vacations in between, you can register at Pos Malaysia. Or you can test out the service of 45 Belgrave Square.
Everyone else who has registered with SPR/EC, kindly check whether you are on the Electoral Roll at:
http://202.190.126.54/ (which is the link obtained from Semakan Daftar (Online Checking))
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Although a Malaysian, I have voted in two UK elections:
The 2004 council elections and the 2005 general election.
A few interesting observations about British elections, which I hope we can learn from:
Commonwealth/EU citizens who reside in the UK (students/workers) are entitled to vote
Automatic voter registration if you live in University accomodation
People are encouraged to register with the local councils (which handle voter registration) because credit reference agencies give you higher scores if you are on the roll
Election dates, although not cast in stone, are well known way in advance by the public.
No display of ugly posters and buntings.
The press are allowed to endorse parties and candidates.
Opinion polls, with regards to parties, candidates and issues.
Debates on TV. Even Party leadership debates/contests are held on TV. Ultimately the leader of the winning party would become the Prime Minister.
Mutual respect between the Incumbent and Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition.
More choice and spread of policies/candidates to choose from in this dual(triple)-party system.
Voting rights from 18 years.
Council elections.
Minimal smear campaigns (although the press sometimes plays it up) and not many threats/bribes of building roads/schools.
No police or armed guards at polling stations. No pondok panas outside polling stations.
No need to present any form of identification at polling stations. Yet, I haven’t heard of any Pengundi Hantu stories.
Polling cards are sent to remind voters of the election date, what they are there to vote for, where to vote and other information.
Impartial election reporting, even by the BBC.
There are many things we can learn from Britain. We have a long way to go to achieve this.
Westminster Parliament/Elections were adopted from them, but we haven’t fully embraced the other institutions which actually make the system workable and great.
It’s just too bad that in spite of all this, they too struggle to get a good turnout and the young to vote.
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Interesting that Adrian brought up ideasa from public choice theory (of which I know nuts). Like bringing up the Prisoner’s Dilemma example.
There are other voting systems, like proportional representation, where I guess your vote would actually count somewhat more than the current first-past-the-post system. Like proportional representation?
But Arrow has gone on to prove in the Impossibility Theorem (something that still confounds me mathematically) that there does not exist any voting system that can satisfy a reasonable set of criteria, except yes, a Dictatorship.
So much for the dismal science.
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Just to inform the poeple who aren’t gonna vote . If you don’t vote, it actually means that you’ve effectively voted for the victorious party, since you didn’t contribute a vote to the winner nor the loser. Therefore you’ve effectively cancelled yourself out of the electorate
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good article - and reminder to all of us.
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Ahmad: Apologies if you felt insulted. I was merely stating what a lot of people in general feel when they are given the excuse “I don’t know”. Perhaps you are the exception to the rule - thank gawd for that.
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the right to vote does come with the freedom not to vote too, you know.
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andrew: That is a very ignorant of you to say that. What the article and the comments are trying to do is urging us young poeple to be a little more aware, and that our votes help make a difference.
What you just say may anger a few, but it disappoints many more.
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Adrian, I was referring to the mathematical proof. The implications of the thoerem are quite easily understood.
With regards to abstaining, I agree with Andrew. The right to abstain is as equally sacred as the right to vote.
If you are confronted with the choice of rotten apples or rotten bananas, don’t you think you have the choice to say no thank you? If you are frustrated with the whole democratic process (which is usually the case), why not abstain? Why favour one idiot over another?
However, I think if unhappy with the choice of candidates/issues, you can do so in style.
Spoil your vote. Write a protest message on the ballot. Like “re-open nominations”, or “eat this”.
And Yuan Wu, don’t call anyone “ignorant” just because you disagree with someone else.
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andrew:
I actually have to agree with Yuan Wu on this. I personally have never seen point in abstaining from voting. I think that there are much more effective ways of protesting.
As I’ve said before, you don’t accomplish anything by not voting. Firstly, you’d just exclude yourself from the electorate and make life easier for your incumbent MP. He/she could just exclude you from his election-winning equations. Secondly, not voting doesn’t in any way change anything. The politician will still win his seat, irregardless of whether he wins it by a majority of 100 or 99 (minus your vote). So if you’re really unhappy with your current MP (or his party), your protest non-vote isn’t really a protest at all.
And as for roy’s reasoning:
I do not believe that in the (although admittedly meagre) whole array of parties and politicians that we have in Malaysia, you can’t find one who at least partially stand for something that you believe in. No democracy in the world is perfect. You can’t expect to wait until kingdom come for this one particular messianic party which will stand for everything you believe in.
For example, if the status-quo’s your thing, vote BN. If Islamic State is your thing, vote PAS. If meritocracy is your thing, vote DAP. And if you prefer a more Malay-based secular party who fights for human rights issues, vote PKR.
Since we’re unfortunately only presented with a rotten apple and a rotten banana, we can still make the best of it by voting for the least rotten one. Let’s call this party Party A. By doing this, we will then be pushing the other party, Party B to be less rotten compared to A in order to get our vote in the next election. And when Party A starts realising this, they in turn will be start to worry about losing power, and will in turn further ‘improve’ itself in order to preserve their power, and so on. So hypothetically, this has the potential of ‘improving’ both parties up in the process.
In contrast, what does abstaining from voting accomplish? Those politicains would probably just think that you’re too busy watching TV to vote. So don’t delude yourself into thinking that they are anxiously discussing your ‘protest’ in their parties. You have to ‘hurt’ them to make them notice, not scurry away silently.
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I’m another ignorant Malaysian who refuse to vote simply because democracy is not working like it should. I think 5 years is simply too long. Companies are being appraised on quarterly basis. Why should citizens suffer 5 years of incompetencies? If you look at our current situation, the people are powerless to do anything for 5 years after they have voted. The issue here is not which party is better, but the people who are governing the country. They are simply incompetant.
What are the factors that determine which party or who to vote? Are Malaysian voters care enough to even check the ecademic backgrounds, social contributions, nation building efforts of their MP? Malaysia don’t need a guru in politics. Simply put, Malaysia need people who can make Malaysia a better place to live.
In any case, I will vote in the coming election.
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Before this debate goes on, note that Andrew’s statement about the freedom not to vote is a positive statement (read up what that means).
He NEVER claimed that not exercising the vote is a BAD thing, or you SHOULD not vote.
We can argue about collective duty and responsibility, and what we ought to do (normative/values/beliefs).
Equivalent to religious beliefs, you have the:
- monotheist - there is only one Party/Ideology
- polytheist - a coalition of parties to serve my interest
- freethinkers - all parties/ideologies are good
- agnostics - I don’t know which party will serve my good, so I abstain and don’t make a choice
- atheist - I don’t believe in the democratic system
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Good point Senbai.
Why do we have to endure 5 years of incompetencies ah?!?! The MPs couldn’t be more careless about their constituencies.
This is so unfair, lets abstain from voting next time[sarcasm included]!
Roy,
Sorrylah, but i feel a bit mulut celupar now. So here goes…
By abstaining from voting, it kind of sounds like one is a non-entity. You choose to abstain, but other people still want to vote what. That means you let others who vote make the choice for you lah. Then you complain the apple is rotten pula. What lah!
But the fact remains that both the apple and banana are rotten. Since you’ve got not many choices, so choose the not-so-rotten one lah.
It’s has always been the case of choosing the lesser of two evils when voting. Hopefully, by voting the lesser evil, it will eventually evolve into something good one day.
If the apple is too incompetent, give the guy some pressure lah. Abstaining wouldn’t help the rotten apple to evolve into a beautiful peach(I think peach is a tasty fruit).
Also, it’s like saying,”This is stupid, I’m not voting.” Then you walk off. But where can you go? It’s still your country.
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Sigma appears to be all too fond with the messianic theme, espousing wisdom as if he’s gone through more than one’s fair share of life’s tribulations. If you ask me, he sounds more like an old fool than an insightful sage. I would recommend him do the following:
1. Stop being judgmental. State your argument and let the readers decide for themselves its merits, or lack thereof.
2. Stop stereotyping readers. Accept the possibility that people can be more complex than simpletons such as yourself.
3. Stop putting words into other people’s mouths. Read their posts carefully and then make logically-sensible deductions.
Hiding behind a nickname works well, you wouldn’t want to let your friends know you’re not even as half as smart as you think you are, on the fact that your command of English is mediocre. Well, what can one expect from someone who aspires to be a professional bean counter…
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Quoted from Nic Lu:
I agree, I am. But only because many people here really do seem to be waiting for a messianic party of sorts to appear in a flash of blinding light. Case point: Popular grumblings of how all parties/politicans are crap, scums of the earth, why should I vote for any of them? etc etc. Agree?
And c’mone Nic, let’s not degenerate into infantile name-calling and accusations here, shall we?
Do you realise that you’ve succumbed to doing exactly what you’re accusing our current crop of ‘less-than-desirable’ politicians of doing? 
And now to reply to your 3 points that you’ve so kindly laid out for me:
Eh, I was under the impression that I was doing just that? One sometimes have to say that your views are wrong in order to say that mine’s right, no?
And btw, what exactly then are your views on voting? I can’t seem find any of your arguements here, only this angry tirade against me
Ummnn… where have I stereotyped anyone here??? And ouch, ’simpleton’ hurts… So I see you condone our politician’s name-calling antics then?
Again, would you mind pointing out for me exactly where I’ve done that? Many thanks
I merely quoted them, and made a sensible comment on what I thought of it.
Ouch… But I like my cool nickname! Did you know that sigma is between the alpha and the omega? Cool huh?
And since you seem to be so eager to reveal real identities, I would be more than glad to know more about you. So Nic, where do you live? Which school did you go to? Your favourite colour?
Double ouch… Do you reall think so? Damn, I’ve always been quite fond of my command in English… Oh God, why or why did you make me speak such crappy English!
Tripe ouch… Have you no boundraries to your cruel attacks on me?
I’ve always admired bean-counters… so strong and sexy and dilligent in counting each and every one of their beans… “One, two, three little beans… four, five, six little beans…”
But now you’ve shattered my dreams of joining their ranks…
You happy now?
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The satisfaction I get from hitting the nail on the head pleases me to no end — you know it’s true when it cuts deep. As such, you will remember what I’ve said and hopefully reflect on my words before making further posts or (God forbid) articles.
It’s fair to make comments of the deficiencies of our, or any, system. Every nation has its own problems, and that’s what makes life interesting. It would not be a stretch to posit that there is a minimal set of qualities a voter would like to see in a political party before she feels it’s worthwhile her vote. It does not entail, in general, that a voter would only vote when there exists a political party that fully embodies her views.
Claiming that the majority of non-voters are waiting for their so-called messianic party is to implicitly create a stereotype of the inherent simplicity of these people. If you are indeed simple, you should not expect other people to be simple too. Infantile name-calling is what you engage in — I make my comments based on your statements. These are meant to be constructive, so that you don’t sound daft on paper in the future.
“One sometimes have to say that your views are wrong in order to say that mine’s right, no?�
Facts can be right or wrong, not opinions. There are more convincing views, more well-resourced, more empirically-based, more ideologically-driven, but strictly-speaking, no wrong ones. The rest of us have matured by the time we engage in tertiary education to realise the difference between positive and normative statements. It’s not unexpected to have some students still left behind in their juvenile mentality.
My views on voting are largely irrelevant to the discussion of your naivety on the subtlety of argument. I’ll just say as much in that they are more complicated than what I have space for here. To simplify things, the choice in the previous election in my constituent was between Barisan National and PAS. Should I have had a vote, I would be inclined to vote for the former.
“Ummnn… where have I stereotyped anyone here??? And ouch, ’simpleton’ hurts… So I see you condone our politician’s name-calling antics then?�
Expecting that the majority of us here are waiting for their messianic party is a good start to your stereotypical tendencies. Like I said, simpleton hurts because you know you are one yourself. Many politicians poke fun at other politicians, which ones are you referring to exactly? Perhaps that was a rhetorical question on your part :).
“Ouch… But I like my cool nickname! Did you know that sigma is between the alpha and the omega? Cool huh?�
That’s like saying S is cool because it’s between A and Z. On second though, why do I even bother with this post? I’d like to think I’m doing a public service.
I think your English has a lot of room for improvement. It really doesn’t help your credibility when you make baseless claims. Reading around the facts would be a good start, and not just on Wikipedia. Not being born gifted is divine intervention, the fact you’re not well-read is not.
It’s very easy to point out the fallacies of a flawed argument. Statements that are well-resourced and well-thought of, the ones that leads to convincing arguments, are hard to attack. As such, the boundaries of my verbal assaults go only as far as the boundaries of your intellect, or lack of it.
I’m not sure how this is relevant, but if you really want to know I’m currently a senior at Vassar College. I went to Sevenoaks for my International Baccalaureate post-SPM on a scholarship. I look forward to fruitful years working in private equity post graduation. I’m always pleased to know I’ve done my part in making this world a better place.
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Lol, you’re pretty lucky it’s my hols right now, since it gives me a chance to humour your amusing views a bit further before we all move along now
Firstly, wow, have we got an attention seeker here? Just stick to posting your comments on this article here in the future, alright? Don’t worry, I’m sure people will still be able to read your presumably dilligently written comment. You claimed apparently that your ‘masterful’ tirade against me has ‘cut deep’, but I seem to be seeing that it is you who are posting everywhere presumably to ensure I don’t forget about you. A smack of desperation, perhaps?
It’s amusing how it is you who acussed me of masquerading as a ’sage’, when it is you who comes up with patronising comments like this:
Lol! Forgive me if I gag a little
And this is priceless:
“My views on voting are largely irrelevant to the discussion of your naivety on the subtlety of argument.”
Ummnn… hello? Isn’t the main reason why people comment on articles is to discuss about it, and not to simply indulge in a spot of people-bashing? I guess your motives in doing so seems to differ from everyone elses.
Basically, your whole lengthy (I’m guessing it’s to impress others with your ‘intellect’, no?) comment could just be shortened to this one issue that’s relevent to the discussion:
Next time, you should just write that and save space
And to reply to that, if I were in that situation, and I stand by my argument to vote, I would vote BN. Lesser evil, remember? And remember my previous rotten fruits argument? It has already been seen to work. Case point: How PAS is now being forced to ‘moderate’ itself and scale down its Islamic agenda for its political survival. If this trend continues, soon Malaysia’s political landscape will veer more towards secularist parties instead of theocratic ones (which like me, I presume you are not too fond of as well) like PAS.
And the rest of your comment is just tripe, and I see no point in replying to any of them. For someone who seem fond of accusing me of being a ’simpleton’, it amazes me that he/she himself fails to see how ridiculous he is sounding like now. Perhaps it says a lot when he can’t even detect sarcasm
And harping on issues such as my English abilities, ‘lack of intelligence’ (again?), etc, is just bordering on the ludicrous again, which has absolutely nothing to do with the aforementioned article.
Lol!
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[…] ICAK… January 10, 2006 I came across this article on voting in Malaysia on The CICAK, and I decided to comment on it. I took the view that voting has […]
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I think that if you’re fed up with the system, it’s much more preferable to spoil your vote than not cast it at all. Of course people ask, “What’s the point?”, but you see, the point is that it registers your dissatisfaction. People can dismiss 10k non-voters as “Aiya, too busy to vote lah…” but cannot dismiss 10k spoilt votes as nothing. To me, a spoilt vote is the same as ticking a box saying “I do not choose any of the candidates above.”
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Sigma, you are utterly hopeless.
“Lol, you’re pretty lucky it’s my hols right now�
> Yes, otherwise composing replies that’s really rubbish would take twice as long.
“Just stick to posting your comments on this article here in the future, alright?�
> Putting up the post on your article was meant to be a one-off, so the other writers won’t have to tell you again what I said.
“You claimed apparently that your ‘masterful’ tirade against me has ‘cut deep’ �
> I don’t think I used “masterful� anywhere.
“…to ensure I don’t forget about you. A smack of desperation, perhaps?�
> I am desperate. If you write another half-witted comment or article I would actually go eat my hat.
“It’s amusing how it is you who acussed me of masquerading as a ’sage’, when it is you who comes up with patronising comments like this� and this?:
> Do you even know what “sage� means? This is taken from the Oxford Advanced Dictionary:
[C] (formal) a very wise person
adj. (literary) wise, especially because you have a lot of experience
“Isn’t the main reason why people comment on articles is to discuss about it, and not to simply indulge in a spot of people-bashing?�
> Not necessarily. It’s not uncommon for the comments to point out how the logical deduction of other writer’s comments don’t follow.
“I guess your motives in doing so seems to differ from everyone elses.�
> That’s true. I long to put dummkopfs like you in their rightful places.
“Basically, your whole lengthy (I’m guessing it’s to impress others with your ‘intellect’, no?) comment could just be shortened to this one issue that’s relevent to the discussion�
> That’s like reading the conclusion of an article without going through the details. Perhaps that’s what you do. Yes, we know it’s not hard to get into Accountancy and it shows.
By the way, it’s “relevant�. Microsoft Word has a spell checker you might find useful.
“And to reply to that, if I were in that situation, and I stand by my argument to vote, I would vote BN. Lesser evil, remember?�
> The reason I would vote for the incumbents is purely utilitarian. I don’t see how PAS are able to win 2/3 of the vote (which would require them to woo the non-Muslims) to push through their Islamic state agenda. This, however, does not hold in a proportional representation system.
“And the rest of your comment is just tripe, and I see no point in replying to any of them.�
> Not that you would be able to, at any rate. I presume you meant “trite�.
“Perhaps it says a lot when he can’t even detect sarcasm�
> That’s true. I have trouble detecting sarcasm void of wit.
“And harping on issues such as my English abilities, ‘lack of intelligence’ (again?), etc, is just bordering on the ludicrous again, which has absolutely nothing to do with the aforementioned article.�
> It has everything to do with the article. The reason people reply to your comments is to not appear defeated by your flawed rhetoric. I’m not just speaking for myself when I say you’re unable to distinguish between positive and normative statements.
And that’s pathetic.
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Some general comments on voting. If the argument is that the impact of a single abstention makes no difference to the results of a vote, and therefore one has no reason to vote, I’d like to point out that the argument is in danger of sliding down a slippery slope; if everyone thought that way, there would be no voting. Votes are accumulatively important, not just for playing against the margins.
If there were no votes cast, then there would be no democracy since the opinion of a single citizen carrying weight is fundamental to the idea thereof. “Autocracy” is a self-fulfilling conclusion of everyone not voting. It begs the question of having a democracy in the first place.
Secondly, if reasons such as 5 years being too long a term and therefore undemocratic, please note that leadership terms are determined by constitution, as are most such rules. Constitutions can amended by parliament. Parliaments consist of elected representatives. Elected representatives are voted in by you, the voter. To not vote would therefore scuttle all chances of any favourable - at least in your view - change of the constitution, not least the government.
Just a general observation: miracles don’t happen just because you abstain from voting, or even engage in voting. Changes happen when you’re *politically engaged* in civil society. In the UK and the States, who can’t turn around without bumping right into a lobbyist’s slogan. Here, everyone’s lobbying for Akademi Fantasia XVI.
Not voting, or not voting out of conscience, is a strange argument because apathy of this sort validates no one but the abstaining party. Not voting only leads the incumbent to hold more gratuitous meetings asking themselves “why, oh why are the youth uninterested?” while eating hot, expensive kuihs and drinking RM 10.00 teh tariks.
Don’t let politicians beggar us. Vote.
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xpyre, Couldn’t be more well said.
Though i kind of agree with johnleemk too.
Nic Lu…oh…Nic Lu!
I don’t want to call you an idiot because you’re not. But your comments seemed to prove otherwise. Don’t get so ‘gan jiong’, as Cantonese like to say. Why do you need to come here bash up another commentor?
If you still want to bash people, go join a gang fight. Don’t come here and give long, unintelligible articles about how stupid others are. Your words are a pain to everyone’s eyes, and an insult to your self-proclaimed intelligence!
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[…] an honour and a privilege to write for it, and it seemed like only yesterday that I was writing my first article. What I thought would be a one-off article, however, soon spiralled into many more. I knew there […]
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[…] I registered myself at a mobile registration booth at a shopping complex in Kelana Jaya last year. The whole process took 10 minutes. To learn why it’s important to vote, read Keith Leong’s article, “Vote, damn it.” […]
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Every citizen should remember if you don’t vote or spoil your votes in an election, it does not coun and will be recorded as “undi rosak”. Other drawbacks of not voting or spoiling your vote is you declare that you support any party that comes to power. OTOH, if you vote you can influence the outcome of the election.
This is how I voted in the last Ijok by-election:
Barisan Nasional vs. Parti Keadilan Rakyat [I voted Barisan Nasional]
I vote in this way because I see PKR as PAS and thus a vote for PKR is a vote for PAS. However, I am not a “government stooge” or “BN stooge” as I do believe in a strong opposition - that is why I vote for DAP wherever they contest, be it parliament or state.
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I agree with Sigma “People who did not vote means that they’ve for the victorious party. My blood level shoots up whenever I hear people say “No time to vote”….
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