If we do not Vote carefully, we lose and only the Politicians win!

BY now, the Malaysian voters already know who will be the candidates from all sides. Any remaining doubts will be removed on 20^th of April, which is the nomination day. Polling day has already been fixed on the 5th of May 2013. Hence from the 20^th of April to the midnight of 4^th May, we will be witnessing election campaigning from the candidates.

Election campaigning is of course intended to persuade the voters who have yet to decide. It is never influences the hard core supporters of political parties. The hard core supporters owe their loyalty to the party and not to the Rakyat’s interest. There is also another specie of voters who will vote and persuade others to vote based on their narrow, selfish interests. Again, these people will not be influenced by the campaigning period.

To be able to vote wisely, it is important to have as much facts and information as possible about the political parties and the candidates. The more accurate information and facts that you have, the more able you are to make better decision objectively. Unfortunately, most of us are prone to subjectivity, sentiments and emotions – something we should be wary of when we attend election rallies and hear their fiery speeches.

For sure each side will expose the weaknesses and defects of the other side – which is good for the Rakyat to know! The voters then will have to weigh the weaknesses and the strengths to make a decision as to who deserves their vote. There will also be “spinning” and various “tactics” used to influence the voters. We must be able to identify these accurately so that we do not become a victim of misinformation.

The qualification, experience and the overall personality of the candidate is important. It is not just a simple criterion of “new or old faces”, “young or old”, “religious or otherwise”. It has got to be an overall list of items that you may want to include in your own checklist. After all, the bottom line has always been that NO political party has a system that is able to throw up the best of citizens for political leadership. So, we are left with choosing the best from who are available.

At the end of the day, make sure it is the RAKYAT and not the politician that wins.

Good luck in your voting and hope you make the right choice in the interest of our Nation.

Peace !