This is not about politics. This is not about who’s better
than who. This is not about competition. This is not about the imposition of
opinion on others. This is about rights.
I did not vote at the last general elections. I am not going
to justify my actions. This is not the right place or forum to do so. On the
day of the elections, there was a write up on facebook about how people who don’t
exercise their right to vote have no right to call themselves citizens of
Malaysia, and have no right to complain about anything, from potholes to corruption,
and that we are just a bunch of ignorant fools.
Excuse me? I am as Malaysian
as they get. What people don’t realize is that the right to vote must
necessarily include the right NOT to vote. It’s my right, no matter what my
reasons may be.
When I ask people why they voted, the answers vary from “we want to give the opposition a stronger
voice”, to “we want to see some
changes”, to “we have had enough of
corruption”, to “it’s my right to
vote”. Well, here’s what I think. One should vote for the party one thinks
will really work for the country. And if that party loses, well, that’s just
democracy in motion – majority wins. Any other reason a person may have for voting,
for me, is crap. That’s my opinion. Just like other people may think that me
exercising my right NOT to vote is crap.
So who is right and who is wrong? Neither. You want to vote,
go right ahead. You don’t want to vote, that’s your choice too. Don’t turn
around and tell me that you’re more Malaysian than I am because you voted and I
didn’t. Seriously! Am I worse than someone who gets paid to vote for a certain
party? Or someone who votes and then proceeds to commit crimes? Or someone who
makes an informed choice not to vote as opposed to someone who will vote for
just about any party because “the
opposition must have a stronger voice”? Come on.
The best irony is that these people who champion rights –
the right to vote, the right to free speech, the right to assemble – will be
the first to criticize anyone who doesn’t follow THEIR train of thought. For
example, by disowning me as a Malaysian because I did not vote. What happened
to free speech, free choice? I guess it’s free so long as I do it according to
their rules.
In which case, what’s the difference between them and the
government of the day?
