A take on the election results

When I'm still a kid, election is about wow and wah-ing over the seemingly magical overnight sprouting of colourful blue BN and fancy Rocket posters around my Taman. I can still remember jumping vainly trying to grasp some of the posters hanging by a piece of raffia strings across two big trees, wanting to reuse them to make paper aeroplanes.

My first ever recollection of really reading the election results is in 1999, where as a 14 year old kid I proudly thought that "Wah, Sarawak government so great, win all the seats in Parliament when other states suffered some surprising losses. Sarawak people so loyal to the government."

Fast forward five years later in 2004, when I am studying SAM in INTEC Shah Alam. That time, the future certainly looked great - I'm on my way to overseas and a Mr Clean Guy is going to be PM. When BN won with a big margin, there was an air of positive anticipation that Malaysia is on its way forward. This was further reinforced when that Mr Clean Guy did spot checks on immigration department like all the pengawas in ties usually did during sekolah menengah. "I'll eradicate corruption" he said, and I believed him.

2008 is supposed to be the first ever election where I can vote, but alas, I cannot exercise my right as I'm physically located in a foreign country. Even though Malaysia is thousands of miles away, the election fever can be felt here, thanks to the Internet and all those blogs. There's a twinge of regret that I can't vote. Nevertheless, I felt that the country had voted correctly overnight: The opposition gained big, and BN losses 2/3 majority. This election certainly lived to its hype as a history defining one.

I'm greatly encouraged by the result, not because I am pro opposition, but because I shared the sentiment that for a democratic government that is Malaysia to work, there need to be sufficient balance and check. Despite all the alleged gerrymandering, corruption and abuse of power, BN is still the better party to run Malaysia, as I hold the view that the opposition is currently akin a hastily assembled car thrown in to race a sleek Ferrari. Hopefully, the car is fast enough to trouble the Ferrari driver, causing him to look over the shoulder and do constant head checks and be more cautious in making decisions.

Looking back, I am not sure what happened these four years that made me to have a more moderate, liberal view on politics rather than blindly supporting for the ever mightly government. Perhaps it was the move overseas, where you can see your country from a different perspective, perhaps it was a maturation of thoughts, or perhaps it was all those popular online bloggers and websites which tirelessly expose all those government misdemeanour. Perhaps it was that the latent KBKK skills that the education department tried to instill in us takes a few years to have effect.

Nonetheless, the political landscape in the next five years is likely to be a very colourful one. Seems like there's no more need to suscribe to anymore canto or korean dramas.