July 9th, Part II.

It’s sad to know that there are people from my generation who seem to think that this whole Bersih 2.0 thing is nothing more than some unnecessary burden to the public. I can’t believe some choose to be so ignorant. Have you learned nothing from the news and current affairs that have been clouding our nation?

Roadblocks and congestion are due to the rally, yes, these were all expected way ahead before they even happened. The police force and whoever of the same intentions, are obviously taking this opportunity to make it seem like people in support of the Bersih 2.0 are to be blamed for all the inconvenience caused. If you are one of those who agree then, why, you must be pretty stupid.

If you think that it’s as simple as that, then I believe you need a knock on your head. Maybe twice, to make sure you get the message. The condition we have here in Malaysia? It’s in a dire state. Most officials are corrupted, we have politicians with their own, very different and selfish agendas – sometimes you’d think they have forgotten that they are supposed to be working for the people. Their job; is to make sure the country is a place where the rakyat are happy.

So maybe Bersih 2.0 has its own agendas too. Maybe they are not what they claim to be. But the objectives and requests are for EVERY citizen. Citizens who think that everyone deserves the right to decide what they want best for their country and themselves. It calls for fair elections, it calls for transparency in governing the country, it calls for corruption to be stopped.

Instead, the people who were supposed to act for the best interests of the citizens – they are the ones who over and over again prove, they don’t really care what the hell we want. They just want to ensure they remain in power because that’s all that matters.

When the King decided to meet the chairperson of Bersih, some ministers expressed disappointment while others think it shouldn’t have been that way because the King should act after he has consulted the Prime Minister. So you see, now they are questioning our King too? Maybe the King is in favour of fairness to all. And where is our Prime Minister? Somewhere else while the country undergoes a major, critical event. And, he should have done what he said he would, which is to provide a stadium.

If you have read the news, Bersih organisers did everything they could to make things as simple as possible. They said they would call the street march off if the King says so. They agreed to the suggestion that they hold it in a stadium instead. And while those people in charge claimed they are also looking into it, what they really did is not give a rat’s ass.

So tell me again, if there is nothing to be afraid of, why are these so-called good people, so afraid of these people who are speaking on behalf of many, awaken Malaysians? Why are they so worried that this event would come to life that they try to make everything impossible for those in support of it? Is it because there are things that cannot be revealed to all?

If there’s no fishy business then why are they losing so much of sweat over it? One thing that is absolutely obvious is that the people are not stupid. More and more are coming to realise what sort of situation we have here and if you choose to be ignorant, if you choose to forego your right to ensure that your interests are well taken care of as a citizen, you should be ashamed of yourself.

Political parties and politicians may have their personal agendas, that’s without doubt. But the people’s voices don’t. We want what’s best for ourselves, our future, our future’s future.

So if you still think it’s all about being silly, causing all these trouble for nothing, and nothing good will ever come out of it – I suggest you take a good look at where we are right now before you make more statements. Maybe someday, very soon, we won’t even have a country anymore.

A democratic country is one where its people have equal rights, a good government body is one that ensures the people’s needs are considered and met if appropriate (which in this case I think are very appropriate, don’t you think?). A good country to live in, is one where you feel at home – not one that makes you feel like an outsider who should be grateful to have been invited for shelter.

So friends, never give up hope that we will someday have a better country. We will, someday see the change many have been fighting and waiting for all these years.

Politics.

When someone mentions the word politics, people usually envisage it as our government or the Cabinet & ministers. What’s presently hot in the politics air right now would be our Opposition leader’s allegedly sex video with a woman, which surfaced about a week ago. There are actually people who think that he should step down and quit politics altogether if there is enough substantiation to prove that the man in the video is indeed him.

What’s ironic is that our current MCA president was once embroiled in a sex video scandal too and look where he is now! So I don’t get why people are making such a big fuss out of this. I’m not choosing sides here, because how could I possibly know for certain if the man in the video is really the man people claim he is? Not to mention the timing of this video being exposed couldn’t have been better. But what really makes me wonder is how come no action is taken against those who had the tape (possession), those who distributed it, and what more, how can a sex video be watched in the Parliament with all the ministers present? It’s not a circus show.

The person who placed the hidden video camera in the hotel room violated both the man and the woman’s human rights and privacy. But that’s of course not as important as determining who’s the man in the video huh? Because what’s more electrifying than that right?

That’s not the only kind of politics all of us have to tackle or know of. When you think of it, we deal with politics at home, at school, at work, and so on. Family members’ bickering and sibling rivalry are also politics. Two or more parties are battling each other to obtain one objective. The only difference in the many types of politics would be the goal, the aim. At country level, those involved in politics fight for the power and the money.

As for family, it could be due to nepotism & jealousy or again, wealth. At a workplace, everyone wants to climb the corporate ladder quickest with minimal effort. Every staff wants to be the superior’s pet, they want to be liked and even favourited among the senior staff so that it imposes a positive effect on their work performance and/or job prospect. In school, everyone wants to be the popular kid or at least get to hang out with the popular clan. Schools are never lack of “drama”.

Everywhere you go gossip about others will be knocking on your front door more often that you could imagine and if you’re unlucky, the topic could be on you. It’s best if you try to stay away from giving suggestive remarks when it comes to conversations like that. When your friends/colleagues are bad-mouthing your superior/s or someone else, you should only listen and not chip in your part (regardless whether you too have complaints & rants or not). Neither do you agree or disagree. Simply nod your head or say something like “Oh really?” or “I didn’t know that“.

The thing about hearsay is it unfurls more rapidly than STDs, or rather quicker than you can say no I don’t think it spreads faster than STDs. And it always gets back to the person who is the topic of the gossip. So when something like that ensues, if you were the one who generated the story or started spreading it, chances are you will face the music sooner or later. If you have contributed, that’s practically the same thing.

Most idle talk and rumours are usually due to women and that’s one hard fact. Most women just can’t ignore the excitement of spreading a juicy piece of story that she knows would excite her other women friends as well. Sometimes certain types of gossip are harmless and could be fun even, but there are some which could jeopardise relationships or in this case, your job. Never go overboard when you’re too caught up with gossip. In extreme cases, it could also cause suicide attempts and a person’s reputation.

So before you say anything, think if you would like it if someone were to say something like that about you. Think about how you would feel about it, and the corollaries that could crop up.

Practise your right, because it makes a difference.

Considering I turned 21 this year, most of my peers (especially from school) are of the same age and although most people relate that to finally being legal, it also means we are able to vote in Malaysia. Many don’t see the importance of having our voices heard (not literally) and it baffles me as to how some can say they are too busy or there’s simply no point in doing so because the government always wins.

That’s pure, plain ignorance and it actually shows how much the people have actually progressed mentally. It is like offering someone an ice cream but that person doesn’t want it because he/she is simply to lazy to walk a few steps to actually grab hold of it. And as to how one can think it serves no benefit to the citizens – leaves me speechless. As many of you already know, our governing system does have a few flaws but it still allows every citizen the right to make a choice. And that is a standardised option among everyone, no double-standards here.

It doesn’t take much time to register yourself as a voter, just head to the nearest post office and the process takes less than 15 minutes to complete. It is so simple yet some are just too lazy. And when it comes to voting, every single one counts so do not vote blindly. Make sure you know what you are doing and what’s going on in the country because you don’t want the wrong people to end up ruling the country.

Some would say Malaysia has very interesting political issues because it seems like everyday you turn on the news or read the papers, there is always something new happening among the politicians or between political parties. Some are out for personal gains, while there are a few who are genuinely out to help the people. Which is why every adult (above 21) should be making use of the voting rights they have been given.

If a thousand people think that one vote will not make a change, that’s a 1000 votes. Every vote counts, people.