Mirror, mirror on the wall: who will in GE13 win them all?

With the GE13 deadline creeping in, we the rakyat are reprimanded and threatened, or cajoled by some politicians; others keep our hope inspired as we keep waiting in absolute darkness not knowing when we will walk to the polls.

The days are filled with all kinds of public deception (not public relations) stunts; gimmicks; media over-drive blasts; revelations; allegations; and what not. ‘Name it and you can have it’ seems to be the daily fodder.

The BN entourage is keeping to its own strategy that appears like a myriad mixture of concoctions that speaks of extremes ranging from threats, reprimands, coerce, to rewards, incentives, promises and some mysteries too.

The PR coalition meanwhile is increasing its battery of allegations and evidences of wrong-doing by BN; hope inspired promises and published deliverables. And their “People’s Manifesto” just unveiled seems to have fired the hopes of the rakyat even higher.

In a nutshell, it does not take a well researched survey to establish that, very clearly BN is already on the defensive mode while the coalition opposition front is advancing on an offensive battle wave.

Rise of people power the world over

Between these two extremes of the pendulum of Malaysia’s current political state hangs the precarious hope of the rakyat. And therein too rests the missing link that will deliver the verdict of the GE13 outcome.

That missing link is the answer to the question what do the rakyat – i.e. specifically the voters, want?

This is what will ultimately determine who will be making it to Putrajaya. Even if as Mahathir’s political mantra of the end justifies the means was deployed to ensure BN won “at all costs, over dead bodies and crushed bones,” that win will only be temporary.

The truth is, the world is well into a re-defining phase as far as the human history of democracy goes. The rise of people power demarcates the 21st century of human history.

Hence, Malaysia will be no exception. We need to have the courage and humility to re-discover without fear or favour what voters want and what voters do not want.

Race & religion are out

Foremost, voters do not want to be divided by race. They want to be proud Malaysians sharing the land and its opportunities based on effort. They also want to share the goodness they enjoy with those less endowed, i.e. the poor and disabled based on principles of a caring and concerned humanity and not race nor political territory.

Voters want to cherish and protect and nurture their faiths without hindrances from the corridors of politicians. They want to live and practice their respective faiths anchored with respect, honour and acceptance of each others’ own beliefs. They do not want to be despising, fighting and killing each other over religion, period.

Why?

Because voters believe that all religions are needed for all the different believers in this multi racial, multi cultural and multi religious populace called Malaysia.

They know and cherish the fact that religions can only help improve the very society they belong to; bringing peace, hope and charity to higher scales in these times when the global weather changes and food shortages are threatening the planet’s future.

Anything that reduces this capacity of religion will therefore be abhorred.

But BN politicians are still missing this fact, sadly.

Missing wealth

Voters know – even without all those complicated statistics, that their country is a rich nation. They know that being a small nation by population size and in comparison to their neighbouring nations, the oil and resource rich nation that is free of natural calamities has enough to go around the 28 million people generously for decades.

They have come to know too well that this small nation needs no cartel handful of billionaires to keep its economic pie piping hot.

Voters know that they have been milked for far too long, having to pay inflated prices for goods, services, amenities and even for a roof over their heads and their daily mobility to and from their hunting grounds.

They know that they could have enjoyed cheaper imported cars of better quality and comfort; that they could have had education on demand without having to forgo tertiary education because of financial constrains; they know that they could have enjoyed and progressed with better health if not for all the privatization of healthcare scams and schemes.

Voters know that they could be leading a happier lifestyle with reduced stress levels given the many economic and resourceful blessings this nation was endowed with.

Mahathirism

Voters are tired - really tired with the 22 years of Mahathirism. Even more tired with the recent and increasing tempo of BN’s war cry of race and religion tempered politicking and all kinds of unanswered allegations and dubious handouts.

Looking back to the year when voters cast their ticket for Pak Lah, one can easily see that it was done not for the lack of trust for change but because they wanted change very much.

That change they wanted was to celebrate in getting out of the dictatorial grips of Mahathir. People were tired of being led by the noose all the time.

But because BN failed to recognize this power of the voter, it has gone on to be on the defensive today. There is no pity nor regrets here for BN’s sitz im laben. Nothing is permanent on this face of the earth. Hence no one human can claim to be the panacea for all and all the time.

After all even communism could not withstand the tides of people power sweeping across the corridors of dictatorships.

Threats

Threatening that this nation will fold and fall apart; reminding voters to be grateful for all the handouts they have received all these years; canvassing the four corners of the nation with more handouts and charity deeds – all of these are and will only serve to rile the voters anger and entrench their distrust to any political party that sticks to such antics.

Hence, if the voters praise the Pakatan Rakyat’s “Pakatan Harapan Rakyat” manifesto, it is no surprise.

Politicians be reminded. The voter who walks to the ballot box with that power of a defining difference to the vote-count is not the handful of billionaires or the politicians’ family members. On the contrary the millions of working rakyat who will queue for the ballot box are the decision makers.

It is what they the voters want for themselves and for their future children and the legacy of this nation is what matters.

And if by some hand of the devil the outcome is rigged – heaven forbid, the people power will take root. Knowing Malaysians, they will not go for violence. That is a done deal.

But the current will sweep so strong going underground, that it will set the country lagging far, far, behind in terms of emotional quotient. And that inventory will not help the winner tide the future upon deceitful winning.

MAILBAG