UNTIL September this year, I was a domesticated and spoon-fed young adult. Constantly living in my comfort zone, while mild activities were a daily routine.
Then I was sent on my first reporting assignment, my debut in the political field.
It felt like being thrown into the deep end. With neither experience nor knowledge on my side, surviving political events seemed like wishful thinking.
Frankly, I had only read a handful of political articles throughout my two decades of life so far. It was impossible to catch up on such a scandalous and extensive chronology of events within days, let alone hours.
However much I lamented, I knew I only had two options – learn to swim, or sink without trying.
I did what was long overdue, which was to finally learn about Malaysian politics. The misconception of being too young to learn was no longer applicable.
My mother was very much involved in the political scene, so I had a crash course with her. I made Venn diagrams to understand who PAS was affiliated with after the 14th general election. I learned names and titles that I never knew existed. Learning the basics did not take long, as politics is less boring than one might assume.
Before this, the hardest decisions I had to make every weekend were what to do to fill my time. Now, I have to decide which political talk or debate to attend. My contact list used to be full of youngsters, but now I am conversing with government officials and managers.
Despite this, I would not change how my life’s path has been paved.
By coming out of my shell, I learned to be more independent and inquisitive. There are rarely wrong questions, and there is no harm in wanting to understand the bigger picture.
I used to think that all these politicians and public figures were impenetrable. The first time seeing them felt so surreal. Now, they still are hard to contact, but they are only humans in the end. There was no need to have any blown-out-of-proportion fear.
Any second thoughts before going for tasks diminished as quickly as they came. The fear to ask and chase answers was no longer there.
I learnt that regardless of whatever we do – whether the outcome is good or bad – we still get something, and that is experience.
Turns out, the “impossible” was not impossible at all.
No person is too young to be in the know about the environment they inhabit. Everyone has the liberty, and duty, to educate themselves and grow as individuals.
Venturing into political reporting helped me understand my responsibility as a person, an employee, and most importantly, a Malaysian citizen.
Seeing the election for the first time, one will slowly realise that there is no perfect political party, and there is no perfect candidate.
However, we should always exercise our rights to stand up for our needs, and one way is to elect a government that we trust could build Malaysia into a thriving nation.
I can now legally vote. Had I not dabbled in political reporting, I would have thrown away my voting privilege as I was too apathetic about choosing a functional leader, thinking that they are all the same.
Of course, no person is a clean canvas. Yet, they may share the same values as you do.
After learning about the Sheraton Move, such actions by “representatives of the people” should not be allowed to be repeated. It is peculiar that a party that had lost could somehow prevail again, maintaining its streak as a national leader. The supposed government was chosen by the majority, but Malaysian politics snowballed with scandals and back-stabbing, and it ended up being the fiasco we all love to hate.
We were given the illusion of choice, and were cheated from finally seeing change.
As Undi18 was successfully passed, the youth – as the generation of advocates – should fight by choosing the party they think is right for the country, whichever side they are on. One less vote for the party you want makes it harder for it to compete against its rivals.
As youths, we are always labelled as naive and unqualified. We are always told that we bite off more than we can chew. But we know better. We may be young, but we are resilient.
We mustn’t be disheartened from voting. It is our future that is being gambled, so the power to determine it is in our hands. – The Vibes, November 15, 2022
Adam Ayzzat is an intern with The Vibes
