“Where you see wrong or inequality or injustice, speak out, because this is your country. This is your democracy. Make it. Protect it. Pass it on.” Thurgood Marshall.
My oh my election season is upon us. First off let me just say I am not here to have a political fight or debate. I hold onto my principles of giving people the right to believe in what they want, as long as we have a mutual understanding in agreeing to disagree. I stand firm with my belief in the First Amendment, even if I am not an American citizen, because I believe we have a right to speak our minds with integrity, and respect, without having to demean one another. At the end of the day, it is the benefits we reap from a proper governing body.
Abraham Lincoln stood at the National Cemetery at Gettysburg after what was known as one of the most important yet horrific engagements of the American Civil War. He addressed the nation with what is now a speech learned by many. The final statement of his Gettysburg address, “The government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from this earth.” is known by many and all Americans who studied the history of American Civil War. Putting aside the history of Abraham Lincoln and his controversial decisions in certain areas of interest, which I for one do not stand by, let us talk about this particular statement in general. Strip clean the politics, hate, and grudgery from any parties. Just plain understanding of what this statement means to you, without thinking about the events unfolded prior to it. In my opinion this statement in general holds such depth and potency to establish a far greater initiative, and to be honest, it seems like a perfect statement for democracy.
So what is democracy to you? Meriam Webster stated the definition of democracy as, “A government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections.” The saying, “vested in the people” is the most crucial out of the whole definition. You need a government and a leader who is wholeheartedly vested in the wellbeing of the people in the country. I believe the foundations holding up democracy are the traits of respect, candor, integrity, honesty, and last but not least a moral obligation to the people. There could be more, but these five are of paramount importance, because these are some of the traits a leader needs to have to govern a country. Sadly, this has not been a case for most countries. A few gems pushing for reformation and change, but the toxicity created by past leaders have murked the waters of democracy.
Why do we have leaders? Why do we vote for these leaders? Who will help our nation flourish? These are questions we ask ourselves before we step up to the ballot box to cast our votes in. We ask these questions because we want our voices to be heard, and have a leader who will listen. We want a person who takes our voices into consideration and fights for it, for they have the stage to bring forth our vision and beliefs. This is why it brings me back to the statement Abraham Lincoln gave. We need a government who is of the people, and we sure as ever want a government who is there for the people. We do not, and I will state it again, DO NOT want a leader who uses their platform for personal and political gain. When we lose grasp of having a leader who will listen, our voices diminish, and the path to freedom of speech, religion, to assemble in peace, and petition becomes obsolete. Is that what we want?
You know, I have lived in both worlds of democracy to speak forth my point of view as to where we all stand in the political arena. As I said at the very beginning, I am not here to fight, but rather use my privilege to voice my opinion. I was born and raised in Malaysia, a parliamentary democracy, with a federal constitutional monarch. Then I lived in the United States for 10 years, a representative federal democracy, consisting of two major parties- the Democrats and Republicans. A mile of difference if you ask me, and let me tell you it has been quite the doozy to see both sides of the spectrum.
I was not much of a political follower prior to me living in the United States. I saw politics through my parents’ views and was never fully exposed to the true colors of Malaysia’s matters of state. It never dawned upon me the significance of the people’s voice, until I was on State side. This all changed when I took Ms. Hobson’s US Government class in high school. Talk about breaking down doors, because I was shown a whole new light in grasping American politics. Till today I remember the pillars holding the very foundation America stands on- the Constitutional Amendment. I guess the constant quizzing by my roommate Julia for my final had finally engrained all 27 Amendments into my brain. All 27 hold such significance, but only three of them stood out for me. The 1st, 15th, and 19th Amendment. These three are crucial, because the first is giving you the freedom to use your voice, the 15th allowed African Americans to vote- in all clarity, everyone regardless of race, or skin color are allowed to vote, and the 19th gave women the right to vote. Three highly crucial amendments everyone should look into. Why? Because it is important now more than ever as we reach election week. If we look at it as a whole, it clearly states that everyone, regardless of race, gender, religion, skin color, and sexual preference should go out to vote, because we have a right to do so, and this is our only chance to have our voices be heard. If we do not go out, put in our ballots, and stick the “I voted” sticker on our shirts, we are doing America no justice. We look up to the statement, “Land of the free, home of the brave” then by golly Americans live up to it. Be brave to vote for someone who will give you the liberty to live in the land of the free where you have a voice, and a stage to speak your mind.
Same goes to the Malaysian people. Tunku Abdul Rahman, the prime minister and father of freedom and independence said, “We are all Malaysians. This is a bond that unites us. Let us remember that unity is our fundamental strength as a people and as a nation.” In 1957, Tunku Abdul Rahman broke the shackles binding our hands and feet, free from reign and colonization, so we could exercise our rights as an independent nation. Yet how far have we come? Because unity is a word that seems to have dissipated from our core beliefs and practices as we speak today. I was born and raised in Malaysia, and I am real proud to be one. We’re truly a one of a kind country that has been blessed with a grey matter of 3 multis- religion, culture, and race. Talk about a gold mine of opportunity if we were able to access this grey matter in full force. Unfortunately it is a gift well underutilized, and it is a shame now to see us be put in the back shelf, covered in dust, from other developing countries who work towards innovation and cultural heritage. All for what? A slice of power pie? Give me a break. We have it all, but we choose to throw it all away for a smidge of self-decaying ego. Our governmental institutions have quite frankly deterred from the very foundation our forefathers have paved for us. This comes from my current observation and read ups of our leaders in the print and digital media. Just for personal gain, our leaders are willing to put a band aid on a broken concrete slab just to keep citizens at bay, without figuring a proper solution to resolve anything. True, we progress, and develop as a nation, but our fundamentals should not be left astray. We talk about teaching our young generation about our 5 pillars of the nation, or better known as our Rukun Negara. Yes it talks about respecting the law, religion, and the nation, but do we teach them the reason behind it? What were the elements that made us decide on creating the Rukun Negara?
Kepercayaan Kepada Tuhan • Kesetiaan Kepada Raja dan Negara • Keluhuran Perlembagaan • Kedaulatan Undang-undang • Kesopanan dan Kesusilaan
A little backstory of how our Rukun Negara came to be. We gained independence on August 31st, 1957, but we took a huge step back when we as a nation went into racial dismay on May 13th, 1969. Many called it a dark day in Malaysia. We were fighting each other due to our race, skin color, and religion. A short 12 years of independence, and yet we could not even uphold the principles of harmony among each other. Months of grueling incidents and casualties led to the creation of the Rukun Negara. It was a declaration and proclamation for unity in Malaysia. Peace and unity for all races was one of the reasons it was created, but there was another which stood out, and honestly I was never taught this in school. We were always told to memorize all five of the Rukun Negara, and was never told to embrace the true meaning of how it came to be. It was the preservation of living in a country of democracy. It was an initiative the government took to assure they were going to learn to listen to the people. There was compassion and willingness to fight for the people instilled in our Rukun Negara. It was a step forward in creating democracy, but truthfully, I think we never fully recovered from this incident as we still see today the disparaging of one another. Of course there are no killings and demonstrations much like May 13, but systemic racism is still prevalent today in Malaysia. Quite frankly my reason for it is the fuel being dumped into the fire by our elected officials. The sheer blindness caused by greed, power, gluttony, and pride, has denounced the true meaning of democracy in our country, and in truth, it is not only in Malaysia we are seeing this. We see it everywhere in the world, and the one word to sum up my explanation for this is a little thing we know as corruption.
Corruption fuels on silence. Silence is what kills our democracy. When we keep our mouths shut, and close one eye, we set precedence for the corrupt leaders we have in power to continue their sinister ways. Mind you, corruption is not solely about money. Words go a long way, and sometimes with the wrong ones, it germinates the seed of corruption. Is it fair for them to reap the benefits from our suffering? To hell with that. It is time for us to make a stand. As Frank Underwood said, “If you do not like how the table is set, turn over the table.” I know there is irony in taking a quote from a fictional politician, but what he said is true. If we do not agree with what is happening, then step up to the plate and change it. Granted we are only regular folks compared to politicians who have stashed away their dirty linens and carved their malarkey ideals into our policies to establish their superiority; but we have one way as citizens of our respective countries to clean up the corruptocracy by doing the one thing we all have the God given right to do. GO OUT AND VOTE. Simple as that. What else is there to say? Us being silent is the death sentence we wish upon our freedom, our rights, our beliefs… our democracy to live in liberty. Our one chance of better democracy lies in our hands, and we should not let it go to waste.
“We are a nation made strong by people like you.” Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Malaysia, do not let our leaders use the pandemic as an excuse to scare us away from a reformation our country is dying for. Enough is enough. The fallacies, lies, and outright indoctrination has gone far enough for us to tolerate. Please, use the one strength we have and that is the ability to vote. To my American friends and family, my heart and soul is with you at the polls even if I am not able to vote. It hurts me to know your voices are bellowing to break down the barriers created by the same disorganization and pandemonium we are currently facing here in Malaysia. I know Covid 19 has fueled the complexity of politics, and to be honest, exploited to a certain extent. Malaysia was doing well during its initial stage of addressing the pandemic, but when the issue of personal and political gain were in peril, the disease was used as an excuse and in the end the citizens are the ones to suffer from it. In America, a piece of cloth put across our face is now known as a political stunt, when in fact it is to protect us and the people around us. Then there are talks about Covid 19 being a conspiracy, and yet thousands pass away each day from the disease, without having their family members be there to say goodbye or bury them in person. How could we have reached this stage? This is why we need to exercise our rights to vote for a leader who can help us progress to a better future. One voice can help spread change, but when many come together, we can be a force to be reckoned with. If you can vote early, by all means go. Use your voice and civil action to not allow democracy be dragged through the mud by individuals who believe it is their right to deter from the one job they were sworn into office for- upholding their promise to protect and be there for the people. Put aside the hate, xenophobia, and racism. Think about compassion, acceptance, and human decency. This is our one chance to make change. So make it count.
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