By P Ramakrishnan
Many parties and many individuals are contesting in GE15. This may pose a problem of choice for some voters. How real is this problem? Is there a simpler choice?
Indeed, there is. The choice is Pakatan Harapan vs The Rest. The Rest includes all the other political parties and the many individuals contesting as Independents. This approach will narrow down the choice and help elect a government that will serve Malaysia for the better.
The party promising change and good governance is Harapan.They can be trusted when they say their policies will be inclusive, fair and just. This is what we desperately need now.
Other parties will divide us, discriminate against us, and take care of certain interests and welfare of certain communities only. This is what we must vote against.
Perikatan Nasional’s declared policy is to have a Malay government. There will be no non-Malay representatives in the cabinet. Is it right to sideline the non-Malays and exclude them from being part of the government in a plural society? This is why they must be rejected.
We must prevent Barisan Nasional from being elected to form the government. We have witnessed how they robbed and looted the country. Under their rule, the corrupt will have a gala time and the guilty may not even be prosecuted. This is why they must be rejected without a second thought.
Some well-meaning and well-known individuals are taking part in GE 15. Their credentials are noteworthy. But they cannot defeat the party machinery with all the resources at their disposal. They cannot match them in money terms. Their reach is far and wide; that gives them the added advantage.
At best, these individuals may garner enough votes to spoil the chances of Harapan. That would be a pity. It would be a double tragedy – they won’t get elected but they would have contributed to the defeat of Harapan. These individuals will attract the opposition-inclined voters, thereby reducing the votes for Harapan.
If, by chance, either Barisan Nasional or Perikatan Nasional, or both combined together, form the next government we will be doomed; we will never be able to defeat them ever again. In power, they will pluck every loophole and tighten every screw by amending the Constitution, if possible, to ensure the Opposition will never ever get a chance to form a government again.
So this is the only chance to elect an Opposition party to form the government. Harapan should be the choice of government. Our hopes and dreams depend on Harapan forming the government.
Let’s be motivated by American writer Walter Anderson’s inspiring quote: “Our lives improve only when we take chances.”
Let’s take that chance and elect Harapan and give them the full term of five years. Let’s see how well they perform. Let’s see if their governance will help the economy through the generation of jobs, improve the living conditions of the disadvantaged by raising the earning power of Malaysians generally, and makeeveryone feel that they have a stake in this country.
If they fail, let’s throw them out at GE16. At that point, these individuals now contesting in GE15 will find acceptance and will stand a chance in getting elected.
For now, it is only Harapan – reject the rest. Our vote will create the kind of country we have always aspired to have. Only by electing Harapan we can ever enjoy the chance of looking forward to better times!
It is said, “Take every chance you get in life, because some things only happen once.”
(The views expressed are those of the contributor and do not necessarily reflect the views of Rebuilding Malaysia.)
First published in Aliran on 17 November 2022
P Ramakrishnan is the long-serving former president of Aliran who served three and a half decades on its executive committee, and has been with Aliran since its inception in 1977. Now an ordinary Aliran member, he continues to highlight issues of public interest to a larger audience.
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