New hope?

Malaysia's general elections just concluded over the weekend. The ruling government retained it's simple majority vote. There were alleged irregularities and fraudulent practices in the electoral process. Anger, frustration, uproar, outcry... are just some of the many reactions of the people. I too, felt sick and defeated in the first instance. The odds were against the opposition, I didn't expect them to win but to know that the ruling party will resort to such blatant dirty tactics was beyond comprehension.

My first thoughts at a personal level was... do I see a future for myself and my family in Malaysia? A place I've always called home. Yes, I am one of the lucky few who was given the opportunity to venture overseas, to seek a better live for myself. But I yearn for the day to be back home, the place I was born, the place I grew up in, to be close my family and loved ones. I do not want my children to be alienated from their grandparents.

I would not dwell into the analysis and post mortem of the election results, as I am no expert. But I did learn a lot more about my country's political environment. The motto of the opposition was Jom Ubah - Let's make a change!

I do feel that there was indeed a change. 80% of the registered voters came out to vote, that is a record by itself. There were many seats lost to the opposition. The ruling government cannot ignore this. They know the dissatisfaction of the people and hopefully, will start taking actions to progress forward. Likewise with the opposition, with the new seats won, they have now earned the trust of the people. So my wish is that they use this power responsibly.

In many counts, it is a victory, not a defeat. We mourn, but we have to pick ourselves up and move forward. Changes do not happen overnight. Just like in an Ironman race. It's a long day. But by placing one foot in front of the other... we can only move forward.

Here's to a future for myself and my family in Malaysia - negaraku, tanah tumpahnya darahku!