UP till May 2018, most of us had this fantasy that votes mattered. Then February 2020 showed us that they didn’t.

Political parties that were expected to represent the rakyat who voted for them and pursue the policies they promised to deliver abandoned the same people who voted for them.

So do you think your vote matters in the next general election?

Yes it does and it is extremely valuable and important. It could also swing an entire election.

While your vote does not directly elect the prime minister, your ballot, along with others, makes a difference.

Based on the country’s first-past-the-post electoral system, even if the winning candidate wins by a single vote, he or she will still be declared the winner.

Whether the rakyat’s votes matter depends a great deal on the circumstances of any given election.

Those who supported the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition felt betrayed by events in February 2020. Those who supported the subsequent two administrations are now left disappointed, frustrated and suffering in silence with its handling of the pandemic and the present state of economic depravity.

Will Barisan Nasional (BN) return to govern? Or will PH govern?

In the country’s system, approximately 80% of eligible voters being supporters split between both BN and PH, can’t hope to change the outcome, giving the balance 20% the leverage they did not have otherwise.

The 80% are firmly entrenched in their views, growing further and further apart on issues, and increasingly disliking each other. It is thus assumed that party identities are strong and stable – members of BN component parties will vote back BN while members in the parties that formed PH will stay loyal to this coalition.

Instilling anxiety specifically to the majority race in this country and historically a tool used repeatedly by BN to maintain their hold on power for the last 60 years, will unlikely gain much traction in the next general election.

In the 15th general election, two issues will stand out clearly for the rakyat and the eligible voters. The devastation to the economy caused by the pandemic and the increase in food prices caused by various global factors.

Both coalitions have shown a lack of ideas and for those who governed in the last two years, their incompetence in managing the above  issues stands out like a sore thumb. Many politicians could be out of their depth in resolving these issues, having gone up the ranks through identity politics and not from managing the economy of the country and the welfare of the rakyat.

With the food crisis showing no signs of abating in the next six months, political jockeying between candidates from both coalitions in the next general election will likely be on bread and butter issues.

Competing for the rakyat’s votes, thus, will be really simple.

Candidates who state their coalition’s economic positions will have a better chance at securing fence sitters.

Based on public statements and policies announced to date by both sides, it’s hard to imagine that the parties will drastically change their strategies for the 15th general election.

In the absence of any clear ideas on how to pull the country out of its current state, BN is likely again to revert to identity issues like race and religion to fuel party realignments for the next general election on grounds that they need to have majority control of Parliament for political stability to return to the country.

Would PH be able to swing and convince those who felt only weakly connected to BN and their identity politics and vice versa, or will voters disregard identity politics and vote for ideas and programmes that would enhance and sustained their bread and butter issues in the long term?

Political leaders will likely focus and try to sway the fence sitters with their rhetoric and promises to stymie corruption. They will justify their call for them to be returned to govern with a majority so that there is political stability, which is essential to grow the economy.

The rakyat should be enlightened by now, with all the public revelations coming out from the trials of the two most prominent members of the past government, that none of them actually prioritised the welfare of the rakyat when they were in power. It has always been about them, and the elite of this country.

Even with a slim majority, money politics is still a problem. If BN is returned to power with a majority, the country’s financial mismanagement could be 100 times worse than it was in 2018.

The rakyat should not be taken in by this plundering excuse of a majority for political stability to return. To do so is akin to inviting the wolves back into the chicken coop with hopes they will guard the coop with integrity.

The rakyat should also not be taken in by any candidate who promises that if elected, they will be able to bring in new investments and create new jobs in the constituency he or she is seeking to represent.

The rakyat should also not be taken in by any candidate who claims he or she will better represent you and channel your issues to the national leadership. By promising to deliver on what is the scope of their responsibility is a clear confirmation the said candidate is not suited to represent you.

Impressive credentials and high academic achievements do not mean they could be good political leaders that could represent and address the concerns of the rakyat.

Fellow Malaysians, please think hard about hitting the voting booth. Exercise your right. A low turnout on voting day means that the fate of the nation will be determined by a limited group of voters.

Vote only for the candidate who can explain plans that are actionable, which their coalition plans to introduce and implement for the country if they are voted in.

Demand clear answers from them. – June 27, 2022.

* FLK 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.