A let-down but not quite

WHILE the GE13 results tally showed BN39, PR2, a SMS came in, saying opposition Pakatan Rakyat de-facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had declared victory.

Congratulatory messages to the new Mr Prime Minister flooded the social media sites within minutes.

Amidst all the brouhaha, there was a faint voice crying out: “This is incredibly irresponsible when the votes are still being counted.”

But nobody cared.

By midnight, we finally heard Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak declaring victory over television, followed by his speech.

What the winner said was a letdown to Malaysians.

A not-too-jubilant Najib, clearly crestfallen over the denial of a two-thirds majority for BN in parliament, said: “We have tried our best but because of several factors that have happened, particularly the lack of support from the Chinese community to BN, we fell short of our target.”

Najib went on to attribute the defeat of out-going Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman in Gelang Patah parliamentary seat mainly to the Chinese Tsunami which reportedly saw a massive swing of voters’ support to the opposition.

He alleged racial polarisation in the voting trend and feared this could lead to conflict in society.

“Therefore, we will undertake a process of national reconciliation so that we can set aside any extremism and communalism with policies based on moderation.”

At the other camp in a hotel, what the loser said was also a letdown.

Anwar Ibrahim, flanked by Pakatan top leaders, said: “It is unfair to expect us to form a decision based primarily on the results of an election that is considered fraudulent.”

There were no victory cheers regarding Pakatan’s success in defending its states and making inroads in BN strongholds.

Even though he had uttered Chinese Tsunami himself, Najib rose – commendably – above the realm of ethnicities to talk about national reconciliation.

Yes, it’s time for healing and reconciliation but first, we must stop all the race-based rhetoric and the blame game.

To many, two of the best GE13 results are the defeats of Perkasa’s Ibrahim Ali and Zulklifli Nordin – both known for their rhetoric with thick racial undertones.

The fact that they lost in predominantly Malay areas shows even the Malays have rejected their extremism. But will their defeats doom them to political oblivion – or just silence them for a while?

No. The person allegedly linked to them has spoken again! You, of course, know I am referring to Tun Dr Mahathir who seemingly always needs to say something to stay in the public eye.

“The Chinese community rejected the hands of friendship of the Malay community, resulting in the Chinese Tsunami in the GE13.”

It is now two weeks after GE13, yet the racist remarks from politicians, former law enforcers and academicians continue.

Many believe as long as Najib allows extremists in UMNO to express racist and extreme views every now and then, not only will his 1Malaysia programme be negated, his national reconciliation and ‘looking beyond race’ thrust will also remain just a dream.

Najib’s transformation cabinet has been announced this week. More issues surrounding races are expected to be raised over the next few weeks. It’s another letdown for many.

Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Tan Sri Dr James Masing, for one, is disappointed that his party has been allocated just one full minister and one deputy minister post (the latter for Datuk Joseph Salang has been declined).

Noting that the winners were not given due recognition, he stated categorically: “But what I can’t understand is the promotion of Riot (Datuk Richard Riot) as his party SUPP did badly in GE13. They only won one out of seven seats contested.”

His reasoning may not be along racial line but generally, the Dayaks are not happy with their representation in the cabinet lineup since ineffective representation may lead to disinformation and misinformation on the ground, as is commonly believed.

The show will go on but for goodness sake, can we stop all the sabre-rattling and rabble-rousing and start “fulfilling the promises in the election manifesto” and also allow the people to have peace without holding noisy rallies?

For many of my older friends, amidst the disruptive rallies and the tiring blame game, the vote of Bidah Sengin, aged 105, on polling day brought about much hope and thought.

The centenarian’s effort to exercise her democractic right despite advanced age, should serve as an apt reference point for Najib’s future victory speech (should he again win GE14).

Essentially, it is an inspiration drawn from Barack Obama’s address after his presidential victory last year.

The US president, albeit basking in the glory of his second-term victory, did not forget to mention the courage of fellow American Ann Nixon Cooper, who, at 106 years old (one year older than Bidah Sengin), and like her elderly Sarawakian counterpart, still made the effort to come out and cast her ballot in her home state, Atlanta. It’s a heart-warming and inspiring story. Let’s do an Obama the Sarawakian way.

GE13 in Malaysia produced many firsts and stories that will be told for generations. But the one on my mind is about a woman who voted in Padawan.

She’s a lot like the millions who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing – she is, as you might have already guessed, Bidah Sengin and she is five years past her 100th birthday.

She was born at a time when there were no cars on the road and planes in the sky.

And today, I think about all that she has seen throughout her century in Malaysia and Sarawak in particular – the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told we CAN’T and the people who pressed on with that Malaysian slogan: Yes, Malaysia Boleh.

At a time when women’s voice was silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up, speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes, Malaysia Boleh.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes, Malaysia boleh.

When the bombs fell on our land and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes, Malaysia boleh.

She was also there to witness an Earthling take a giant step for mankind on the moon, a wall come down in Berlin and a world connected by our own science and imagination.

And this year, in this election, Bidah Sengin had her finger inked so that she could cast her vote because after 105 years in Sarawak, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how Malaysia can change.

Yes, we can.

As Malaysians, we have come so far, seen so much but there is so much more to do.

So let us ask ourselves if our children should live to see the next century, if my children should be so lucky as to live as long as Bidah Sengin, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment.

I always believe the young voters decide their own future with their votes. But with Bidah Sengin, I believe we are all equal in our ability to bring about change. That one vote makes a difference, no matter the age of the one who casts it.

Being old, well, it’s not a complete letdown.