This
To vote or not to vote in GE14.
Was reading a number of views on my timeline about six or seven youths saying they may not vote in the next general elections because they're not impressed with either side.
And in that very long article that featured these youths, my friend Ibrahim Suffian was quoted as saying that his polling outfit believes that demographic will have a lower turnout, perhaps by up to 8pct.
Some of the arguments made sense, others didn't. The reality is Malaysians have to register to vote. If you have gone through that, why then bother not to vote?
Yes, you can spoil your vote by even ticking both or more candidates. You can tear up your ballot paper too. But this voting right is precious, no? Only citizens get to vote in any country, so why diss the very notion of it because you're unhappy with both or all sides? You think they care?
A good example is Brexit.
The young who gained and will gain more from a UK in the European Union did not go out to vote in large numbers. The ones who felt disadvantaged by the influx of immigrants, migrants and such voted to exit. And came out to exercise their right and won the referendum. What use was the laments and anguish post-Brexit referendum?
The same in the United States presidential elections. Yes, Hillary Clinton won an extra 3 million votes but Donald Trump won because he got the votes in the right states for the Electoral College to elect him as US President. The Democrats didn't get enough voters out in the states with sizeable votes to tip it for her. Again, not enough votes.
Then again, it is just six or seven voices dithering over whether to vote, so what's the big deal right? They don't matter in the course of events because others will vote. These six or seven probably have an exit plan if the country goes pear-shaped in the near future too.
But not the other voters or citizens. They are here, some are informed and will make an informed choice, others will just make their choice based on whoever promises a better deal.
It is as easy as that. And these voters, who might not have an exit plan from Malaysia, will enjoy or suffer the consequences of their vote, just as those who didn't vote.
Here's the thing though. The possibility of 8pct of youths that includes first-time voters not casting their ballots can skew election results and provide Malaysia with a government decided by others with a different world view.
A world view that will not consider the views of the young, who have abandoned their right to vote. What kind of world is that, especially when the current system has enough political geriatrics and dotards, to borrow Kim Jong-un's phrase.
You want to be ruled by the same old, same old? You want to skip your responsibility of shaping your future and the nation's too? If that is the case, you deserve it.
This country belongs to the future, to the young, to those with ideas and philosophies that will make a better Malaysia - not the old, the decrepit, the conservatives and one-track minds.
But that can only happen if we educate the politicians and tell them what we want from them, not just their promises. It sounds idealistic but there it is.
You have to tell them what you want and scold them for what they are doing wrong. You have to let them know your support hinges on that.
You want a conservative country, tell them. You want a liberal country, tell them. At the end of the day, any nation is shaped by the majority, not the minority and definitely not by those who didn't cast their ballots.
Just a footnote, there are friends who occasionally express the desire to leave Malaysia but stop short of it. Because they know they can but they worry about those who cannot.
And this is their tanahair. They will go on to make sure it is the Malaysia that our founding fathers promised it to be. I don't worry if the founding fathers will be heartbroken if this isn't that Malaysia.
But I care enough that Malaysia does not break our hearts and become a nation divided by class, race and religion. And then by youths who decide that the options available isn't good enough for them.
Voting isn't a product available online at special price if you use Paypal or a credit card.
Voting is a right our founding fathers got for all of us when Malaya became independent and later when Malaysia was formed.
Use it. Or lose the right to shape your country's future.
fathers day card ideas 在 40 Thoughtful DIY Father's Day Cards - Pinterest 的八卦
DIY Paper Award Ribbon - Father's Day Craft Idea ... Here are some creative and easy Father's day card ideas for kids to make for their dads! ... <看更多>