WHAT we Malaysians have shown over the years is our ability to trust the ballot box, and by that, we mean holding dear onto the key tenet of democracy – our votes count, and they have consequences that we have to respect.
We had a blip in our history in 1969 when emotions ran high among winners and losers, and this is forever etched in our nation’s history as perhaps its darkest day.
A nation a dozen years old, an infant in the democratic game, clumsy in its handling of the outcome of the democratic process.
Never again, we say, and we have stuck to that.
Since then, we have been exemplary in the way we respect our votes and the outcomes of elections. Our elections have a sort of festive atmosphere, too, with many people criss-crossing the nation to balik kampung and vote.
They are like public holidays, which, incidentally, they are now turning out to be. I suppose it will be a matter of time before polling days are gazetted as official public holidays.
Over the years, we have had state governments changing hands, an election when the dominant ruling party losing half its grip in the country and holding on to a slight majority at the federal government.
And in the last election, we saw an unprecedented change in Putrajaya.
Yet, the mornings after elections, we went to do what we do best: we go to malls and have our leisurely breakfasts and lunches, even as momentous things were going on at our state and federal capitals.
No one was locking doors and staying home or shutting businesses for fear of unrest.
Recently, we had four prime ministers and governments in four years, when once we had one over 22 years and 60 years, respectively! It was business as usual for us.
Now the drama that followed GE14 in 2018, including the implosion of the Pakatan Harapan government, and then the several rounds of political musical chairs that saw two coalition administrations, was not our doing.
Yet, we stuck to our guns and demanded that a new general election be called to legitimise the government.
It is a measure of our maturity that we could deal with such unprecedented events. Apart from some noises here and there, people do not take to the streets, much less resort to violence, as the case may be in some democracies elsewhere.
We dealt with it the way we know how: we curse, lie, rage, and oftentimes we debate and proselytise over social media.
That’s our politics.
We promise to reward those we like and punish those we despise when the time comes, and today is the day.
Perhaps elections in the past several decades, beyond the obvious democratic processes and objectives, have also been a testimonial to our growing maturity as a nation.
We take it that results may not be to some of our liking, but we have sent the message very clearly in several state and federal elections of late that we are not afraid to punish or reward.
We are savvier in our politics and we are demanding more from our politicians. We are keeping a closer tab on them and making them more accountable.
Tomorrow, the victors will realise that they do not get all the votes, and similarly, for the losers, they know that their brand of politics still appeals to many.
Politicians generally are savvier than us electorates who often see things in black and white – we either win or lose.
While the first-past-the-post system that we practise suggests a winner-takes-all situation, most politicians know that winning the hearts and minds of the naysayers, not the already duly converted, are most crucial in keeping them in power.
Our elected representatives know that the campaign for the next elections starts immediately after today’s results are announced. They know, too, that we are fickle, and we can change our minds the next time around.
In the meantime, we stand by and respect the outcome of the polls, even if we don’t get what we want. We let them sort out the details of governing while we enjoy the day off with our friends and families at the malls. – The Vibes, November 19, 2022
Datuk Zainul Arifin Mohammed Isa is a veteran newsman with more than 35 years in the business. He is CEO at PETRA News
