One month since March the 8th.
A day that will certainly go down in history as a milestone in this great country of ours. From where we go from here, the future will prove us right or wrong. Like Charles Dickens would say, these are the best of times, these are the worse of times.
So many has been written and said about this election. The reviews, the post-mortems, the analysis, you name it. I also have my own opinion regarding the matter but let's do that over a cup of
teh o suam and
roti bakar, shall we?
What I would like to share here would be; in my mind, the most interesting experience one could have in our nation's biggest show of democracy. You guessed it, the Pilihanraya Umum.
I was fortunate (or unfortunate, whichever way you see it) to be part of the EC's crew for PRU-12. Being in this position, we were called upon to assist Tan Sri Rashid and his men in the smooth operation of the pilihanraya at the district level.
I was a late comer to the show. If you noticed, arwah Papa passed away during Nomination Day so it wasn't a week till the big day that I really was heavily involved. Even in these hard times, being preoccupied with the election somewhat took my mind of the sadness that we were in. Certainly, I took a keen interest in politics from a young age, thanks to my late father who was always concerned with the what and what nots of this country.
For the people who have always questioned or doubted the transparency of our election system, I personally would tell them it would be very, very difficult for a certain party to manipulate the system. The system is a very transparent. So much so that it makes it quite a hassle for us running it to make sure all proper procedures are met.
Leceh but it all needs to be done to make sure everything follows the rules. This is not pemilihan UMNO isn't it? Oops.
It's quite ironic that this is my second time actually running an election. My first taste of democracy was when I helmed the Fifth College Elections during my 3rd year in Uni. FYI, Apai my roomate won the race for College President. Haha Transparency International would have gone bonkers.
Being in the frontline here didn't give me any advantage on the upcoming 'tsunami' as we all know now. I was in charge of the postal votes, so during the counting process things seem to be same 'ol same 'ol with the
dacing leading the way. It was not until I got to the tabulation centre that I got first hand views of the results at the other polling centres. And how shocked I was. Then came the SMSes from friends in the other states. Samy out. Selangor crippling. Shahrizat knocked. This is gonna be a looonggg night.
And by the time I got home at 3 in the morning, results were still pending for certain areas. I knew then that Malaysia would wake up the next morning facing a new chapter in its political history. The election process proved that our democratic system is still alive in this country. The power is still in the people's hands. And with that, I think Tan Sri Rashid and his men deserve an apology from the people, especially those who are now holding office; for the numerous backlash and not to mention red paint hurled towards the SPR. The system may not be perfect, but I honestly believe our election process is among the best in the world.
That's for the rakyat to judge. I'm just saying what is right is right. Honestly, most politicians whether the Opposition or otherwise just talk cock about the elections. I would hope since most of us are well-read, to read the Peraturan Pilihanraya. You can get it at any local bookstore. Read it. Understand it. Then point out what was done wrong. Because when you talk shit like that, I just lost my respect. It further proves to the public how sore a loser you are.
Just a simple advice for those planning to run in the next elections: From what I've seen and experienced for this GE, please make sure your PACAs (Polling agent & counting agent) KNOWS what is going on. In other words, make sure they understand the rules.
Senang cite, ko khatam Peraturan Pilihanraya tu! It goes a long way in ensuring a fair and balance election that you and I can be proud of. And it also spares you the humility of saying bull to your legions of supporters.
Here's to democracy in Malaysia. Power to the people!
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10:30 AM
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