ARE the people ready to vote? 

A survey by independent pollster Ilham Centre indicates otherwise. It showed that only a small proportion of voters, mainly Umno and Barisan Nasional members and supporters, are eager for a general election to be held soon. Most want the sitting government to remain until the end of the term.

Many political analysts predict a hung parliament as a possible outcome of polls.

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has expressed a similar concern of such a result, which could lead to further political and economic instability.
 
Some might notice that political parties have already started their election machinery to get votes.

Some parties are thinking of cross-party cooperation, before or after the polls.

The most controversial idea must be from DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke, who has stated that he has not ruled out a collaboration with Umno.

“Anything is possible in politics,” he said. That seriously confuses Pakatan Harapan (PH), especially DAP supporters, for the two parties are old foes that have demonised each other for more than half a century.

What does DAP’s willingness to collaborate with Umno signal?

This puts pro-PH voters in a dilemma: will those who are opposed to BN still want to vote for a DAP candidate?

How did Chinese voters respond to Loke’s statement?

AN Oriental Daily online poll showed that 42% of readers did not approve of an alliance; 31% will “wait and see”; and only 21% approved of the two going into coalition post-elections.

Some politicians have talked about the opposition coming together under a “big tent”, having seemingly forgotten that the voters are the decision-makers in the elections.

The people have seen no sign of a manifesto from any of the parties and are wondering what has happened to the reform agenda. They wish to know how the election representatives will lead the country out of an economic depression, lower inflation, and mitigate flood risks

The political parties must show Malaysians that their votes matter.

The low voter turnout in several state elections in the past two years suggests that people are disappointed and unmotivated to vote.

This may also indicate that the people are not happy with all sides and the credibility of political parties is declining, so they might choose not to go home to cast their ballot, thinking that there is nothing to look forward to, nor will it make any difference.

Given the prevalent pessimistic sentiments across the general public, I am glad to see that two major social movement coalitions, Gabungan Bertindak Malaysia and CSO Platform for Reform, have joined hands to initiate Manifesto Rakyat.

Manifesto Rakyat is focused on major policy and demographic group issues with emphasis on unity and social inclusion.

It is not a promotional manual for political parties to earn votes but rather a collection of the diverse voices of the people. 

The initiative aims to ensure that the political parties take their own manifestos seriously and that the pledges are not non-committal “guidelines”.

To quote Rebecca Solnit in her book, “Hope in the Dark”, “the difference between success and failure sometimes lies in the presence or absence of hope. Hope is not an unwarranted belief that tomorrow will be better, but a distant hope for change and an invitation to action”.

We may have already missed the opportunity once to reform the country, so why miss the next election without demanding the politicians to do much better?

Voters must insist on policies and reforms that matter and demand that the politicians comply.

To paraphrase Bulgarian writer Maria Popova, “Critical thinking without hope is cynicism but hope without critical thinking is naivete.”

Hold on to the hope for reform and don’t let history repeat itself. – October 3, 2022.

* Esther Sinirisan Chong is a member of Agora Society. She was born and raised in the Land Below the Wind. Her research interest lies in education and government policies, and the history and heritage of East Malaysia.

* 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.