Alvin Teoh breaks it down on the eve of Malaysia’s big day.
There’s a lot of anger floating around cyberspace lately. And I don’t blame anyone, although some, regardless of which side they’re on are taking it bit too far. Yeah, many of us are sick and tired of seeing corrupted, lying, dirty, bigots running the show. But I don’t want to add to all these issues. I want to talk about something positive. And there is a lot of reason to do so.
I remember 10-plus years ago. Like many people, I had zero interest in politics. I thought that all politicians are the same, so why bother? Back then, BN were the okay guys and PAS was the bogeyman. That’s what we grew up with. And so, life went on as usual. We lived unaware of all the filth and poison that was being spewed.
Fast forward to these past few years and the rakyat is not that naïve anymore. There is an awakening of sorts. Sure, we are getting all sorts of reports about Project IC and how countless migrants are being used as pawns to aid the ambitious objective of recapturing Selangor and conquering Penang. There are reports surfacing about phantom voters with non-existent addresses. There are even reports of vote tampering and plans of spoiling opposition votes, news of handouts by the millions probably, given to simple-minded folk as bribes and incentives. We’re dealing with people who are very good at cheating and lying and have no qualms about doing all this openly. They have made themselves above the law.
I am no prophet with prophetic gifts, but all indication shows that BN will win. I mean, the extent of their cheating is so damn huge, they probably can’t lose. I hope I am wrong. But that’s how it feels now.
But here’s the thing: Whatever happens, they lose. Why do I say that?
Well, look around you and what do you see?
You see almost everybody bent on voting. You didn’t see this 10 years ago. The young, the old, people of all races and status — everyone wants to vote. For the first time in a long time, the rakyat wants to have a say in who we elect as our leaders. And they are expressing this desire in all sorts of ways.
Look around you and what do you see?
I see ladies sewing thousands of thousands of home-made colourful flags and they are popping up everywhere. They call this the Malaysian Spring.
I see amazing short films online, shot beautifully, written intelligently, edited nicely, informing people about current issues.
I see artists designing amazing posters with a mix of wit and rebellion, some creating road signs and hanging them all over town.
I see youths in different States conducting flash mobs, taking their message to the streets and letting everyone know their sentiments and beliefs.
I see countless Malaysians overseas posting JomBalikUndi posters and spending money to make their trip back to vote.
I see people-in-the-know posting all sorts of helpful information on social network sites so netizens are armed with information.
I see 10, 20, 30 thousand crowds showing up at opposition ceramahs all over the country.
I see Malaysian-Chinese embracing PAS logos. Who would have thought? I also see PAS flags hung from churches.
I see people of all races coming together to share their commonality and desire to see this country progress.
While all this is happening, on the other side of the political divide I see near-empty ceramah halls. Maybe because those who were supposed to be there are at opposition ceramahs to harass people. I also see mat rempits in blue terrorizing people and making an ass of themselves, arrogant BN flag-planters removing flags not their own, and taking pictures of themselves to be posted online (like, how dumb is that?). And while we’re on the subject of flags, I also see them spoiling the aesthetically beautiful Malaysian Spring flags by planting their own tiny flags among them, like weeds among the roses. Well, all these are childish at best. And all these (and I am not even going to the bigger stuff) just shows the rakyat what morons we are having a face-off with. Do we really want this type of fellows running the country for another five years?
I have never seen so many of my of my fellow Malaysians so awakened, so concerned, so bent on making a change: “Ubah! Ini Kalilah!” Everyone I’ve spoken to these days have something to say in regards to the state of affairs. It’s awesome. For the first time in God-knows-how-many years, the government is actually afraid of the people. And that’s how it should be.
And their response? A million flags, handouts and lies. It’s incredible. It’s like a double-facepalm for me. Amazing. I guess they only know how to bully. And when they can’t, they cheat. And while they’re at it, why not rely on good ol’ fashioned fear-mongering, playing with the racial and religious sentiments of the people?
BN may just win this GE13. I won’t be surprised. And if they do, they will realize that the people they govern are not the same bunch of docile lambs from long ago. They will be governing a rakyat that has awaken, that is armed with knowledge and will not take their shit lying down. It’s a rakyat who feels an intense ownership of their land, united by a common desire to create a better country for our children. It’s a rakyat that won’t shut up, won’t sit down, won’t buy bullshit. It’s a rakyat that has the brains and the courage and the means to fight you every step of the way.
I’ve never been prouder to be Malaysian right now. And I am not alone. I stand with countless many who share my sentiments. Whoever the government is, it will not be easy to govern us if you are a corrupt bigot acting above the law.
We don’t need the results to know that we, the rakyat, have already won.
Alvin Teoh is a father of 3, husband of 1. Also owns, 1 Great Dane, 2 Tortoises, about 100 guppies. Loves God. Well, I do try. Loves advertising. Loves to paint, shoot and write stuff. Hates cats and most politicians. Believes that change is possible.
Posted on 4 May 2013. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
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