IT’S probably fair to say that July 31 took us for a roller-coaster ride.

We started the day with the #Lawan rally which, when juxtaposed against how the day ended (a letter going out about the postponement of the August 2nd sitting today), is enough to make Lady Liberty sigh.

The scales she holds tip slightly towards the young, I would imagine; the young who made a courageous decision to uphold their right in a democratic nation to make their views known in a manner that was orderly and in compliance with public health rules.

Let’s now compare the orderly, physical protest to the frantic, online activity of parliamentarians trying to hold on to power by supporting the current Perikatan Nasional government, come hell or high water.

The imagery is worlds apart – you have, on one hand, youth sticking to the law, adamant on making change because they understand that lives have been lost and their fellow countrymen are suffering, and on the other hand, has-beens who are trying every trick in the book to stay in their positions in the face of the suffering they were complicit in creating.

Can you really say that the people who have been elected are interested in our wellbeing?

Their actions show otherwise.

It’s actually fairly sad that this is happening now, during the month when our forefathers fought to gain independence from the British more than 60 years ago. We have traded a colonial power for politicians who are seemingly only interested in self-preservation and not in advancing the nation. It is these people who have divided us and made us more isolated as they churn out hate statements that do nothing to safeguard the national interest but, in some cases, cause us to regress.

Race-baiting politics needs to be a thing of the past because the issues in our country affect everyone is all economic groups, regardless of the colour of our skin. Over the last few months, it is Malaysians who have stepped up to the plate and created change –  that attitude needs to translate to who is on the ticket when we vote.

We need to demand that political parties put up candidates who are interested in the collective good as a default, not only when it is politically expedient to seem so.

Let’s start the process of shedding the need to subscribe to race politics. I am a millennial and not someone who votes by party and I suspect that there are more of us around than we care to admit. I will vote for someone from Umno if I think the candidate can protect and care for everyone in the constituency; regardless of who they are.

Sadly, there are few politicians who fit the bill; on either side of the aisle.

 The time to change is now.

We need to ensure that our children and their children inherit a world where everyone can succeed. After all, that is why our forefathers asked for the Union Jack to be lowered, right? – August 2, 2021.

* Shoba Pillay reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.