Malaysia will hold it's general election this Saturday. I have been caught up in learning about Malaysian politics, and to my utter disgrace, I'm not even registered to vote. I say it now, it is completely inexcusable for me, who's 29, to not do my civic duty and even more contemptible for me to be waffling about the political situation in Malaysia. But waffle I will.
I vow, before the you kind people of the online/virtual world and to whomever reading this, I shall be voting at the next election.
I shall also say, I fit the criteria of the typical oppositon, leftist voter. Educated, young, urban, belonging to a generation that did not see the May 13 1969 incident and frustrated by the old-fashioned mindset of racial politics.
What we need is a new vision for Malaysia- much like what Dr. King had for America. The present Malaysia is trapped in its own fears, fear of the unknown, fear that whatever economic and so-called stability will be lost if we vote in a new government. The devil you know makes a better bedfellow, than the one you don't. This is sad because this means we shall always be held back, and we shall never be allowed to progress.
Here are two campaign videos:
Barisan Nasional (I shan't say the ruling party because there is no present government since Parliament has been disbanded but definitely the party that has been in power for the last 50 years)
Compare that with DAP (the main opposition party in the last 50 years- the rocket in the ass of BN! haha)
I must admit, poor choice of campaign song. Poor poor poor to those of us with some awareness of the Western Pop Culture, or even dare I say it, Gay Culture? But a quick search on the Wiki revealed that it's also been a popular football chants or team song (particularly EPL). That makes a little bit of sense, since Malaysia is a football mad nation (particularly EPL) and Tony Pua (the lyricist) is a young, male blogger (I think).
However!! I like it. Looking beyond the tackiness and inappropriateness of the video, the issues are relevant and sincere. My Aussie housemate's reaction was "OMG, don't these people have any sense of pop culture at all???" And knowing Malaysia as it is, I dare say, the people who made this video? No. But that is not the issue, and I said so, I don't care if they have no sense of Western Pop Culture. I don't want them to tell me what the best songs are to use for campaign videos. I want them to run my country honestly, with integrity and respect for its people. Bear in mind, DAP has significantly much less budget than BN to run. Their supporters are not rich tycoons, but the middle-class. Their leaders do not own corporate giants, they are civil servants. Do I expect them to put up a slick, manufactured, glossy video (like BN's)? No, and I don't want them to. This video is like a poor child that drew an ugly painting, but drew what he loved and believed in versus a child who's been trained to turn out what he believes to be perfect pictures. The first was honest and in earnest.
What do you think?
I vow, before the you kind people of the online/virtual world and to whomever reading this, I shall be voting at the next election.
I shall also say, I fit the criteria of the typical oppositon, leftist voter. Educated, young, urban, belonging to a generation that did not see the May 13 1969 incident and frustrated by the old-fashioned mindset of racial politics.
What we need is a new vision for Malaysia- much like what Dr. King had for America. The present Malaysia is trapped in its own fears, fear of the unknown, fear that whatever economic and so-called stability will be lost if we vote in a new government. The devil you know makes a better bedfellow, than the one you don't. This is sad because this means we shall always be held back, and we shall never be allowed to progress.
Here are two campaign videos:
Barisan Nasional (I shan't say the ruling party because there is no present government since Parliament has been disbanded but definitely the party that has been in power for the last 50 years)
Compare that with DAP (the main opposition party in the last 50 years- the rocket in the ass of BN! haha)
I must admit, poor choice of campaign song. Poor poor poor to those of us with some awareness of the Western Pop Culture, or even dare I say it, Gay Culture? But a quick search on the Wiki revealed that it's also been a popular football chants or team song (particularly EPL). That makes a little bit of sense, since Malaysia is a football mad nation (particularly EPL) and Tony Pua (the lyricist) is a young, male blogger (I think).
However!! I like it. Looking beyond the tackiness and inappropriateness of the video, the issues are relevant and sincere. My Aussie housemate's reaction was "OMG, don't these people have any sense of pop culture at all???" And knowing Malaysia as it is, I dare say, the people who made this video? No. But that is not the issue, and I said so, I don't care if they have no sense of Western Pop Culture. I don't want them to tell me what the best songs are to use for campaign videos. I want them to run my country honestly, with integrity and respect for its people. Bear in mind, DAP has significantly much less budget than BN to run. Their supporters are not rich tycoons, but the middle-class. Their leaders do not own corporate giants, they are civil servants. Do I expect them to put up a slick, manufactured, glossy video (like BN's)? No, and I don't want them to. This video is like a poor child that drew an ugly painting, but drew what he loved and believed in versus a child who's been trained to turn out what he believes to be perfect pictures. The first was honest and in earnest.
What do you think?
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