8 Mar 08

It’s Election Day…have you voted?

There’s half an hour more before the voting period ends here in Malaysia, if you haven’t voted yet, it’s pretty much too late for you! I woke up early this morning, and looked out of my window. I can see the school from my bedroom. It was a few minutes before eight, and there was a small queue waiting to enter and vote.

My brother and I only went to vote after having breakfast with our parents. As I walked through the school, it reminded me of the times when I took my theory exams, I got the same sort of feeling. Anyway, I envisioned it to be a really crowded affair, with cars parked right up to my house, and difficulty navigating through the crowds. Yes, I am a first-time voter so I really didn’t know what to expect! It was a surprisingly smooth procedure, they checked my IC, and directed me to the correct room. When I reached the room, they searched for my name on the paper, marked it off, and gave me the papers to mark my vote. My one comment is that they should have some sort of example on how to vote. You read in the papers that there are always lots of spoilt votes, so to prevent it, shouldn’t you have an example on the polling station? There weren’t even any instructions, so I’m not surprised that some people tick the boxes instead of putting crosses!

Whilst putting my vote in the ballot boxes, I felt very Malaysian. Although many of my friends have not registered to vote, I think that it’s my responsibility as a Malaysian to take part in this process. Most people will argue, it’s just one vote, what difference will it make? Well, I think that every little part helps. It’s the same as environmentalism. When people go grocery shopping, they say, it’s just one plastic bag that I’m taking, what difference will it make if I bring my own bag or not? If everyone refused one plastic bag whilst buying their groceries, don’t you think it would make a huge difference?

I’m quite interested in the results this time round. The last time we had our general elections, I was in Australia and returned too late to register. Probably that’s why I wasn’t as interested as compared to now. I’ve also been chatting on line with Polytikus and she’s answered many of the questions I had. Thanks for all your info!

Here’s to hoping that we get good men & women in power, who will not abuse their power for evil. Sounds like an evil cartoon villain, doesn’t it? Heheh…