Keeping safe in epic and historic polls

COMMENT By now, Parliament would have been dissolved, paving the way for the nation’s 13th general election. The mandate won by BN, then led by Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, has finally ended. Malaysians have been exposed to a daily barrage of political grandstanding and canvassing for all of the five years since March 8, 2008. It is now time for the reckoning.

Many of us are eager to cast our ballots but this is a most different kind of general election. There are some 25 percent new voters on the electoral rolls, the highest number of new voters in the history of Malaysia.

Whether this is the result of a heightened sense of political awareness or political chicanery does not matter. What matters is that all of us who registered to vote must go out during polling day for that is the best way to make sure there is no cheating. I expect voter turnout to exceed 80 percent on polling day.

As the temperature goes up, expect a bumpy ride. The jolly and almost festive mood of elections past will now have a tinge of desperation as both coalitions go head-on in the run up to the nation’s epic and historic elections. As I said to my friends on both sides of the political divide - “stay safe”. At the end of the day, if the nation’s interests are put ahead of personal ones, Malaysia will be in good hands.

Four main areas need our special attention if we are to have a level playing field for all electoral candidates going forward. This is where social media can play a crucial role as the ears and eyes of the Malaysian people. If you have a handphone that can record images, sounds and moving pictures, this is the best time to put it to good use. Record everything you can in the ceramahs and other activities; the evidence you collect will help keep the democratic process safe.

The first area is the monitoring of public utilities. A caretaker government, which is what will happen to all federal and state governments after parliament and state assemblies are dissolved, can no longer resort to using public funds or amenities during the campaigning period.

Tunku Abdul Rahman, who led Malaysia through four electoral victories including in pre-Merdeka 1955 Legislative Council elections, was very particular about not using the governmental machinery during the campaigning period. He actually handed over the reins of government to his deputy, Abdul Razak Hussein, and campaigned as a private citizen.

Being seen to be neutral

Secondly, civil servants including those serving in the Election Commission, must not only be neutral but be seen to be neutral. This we learned in college and in the case of the Universiti Malaya college elections, the chairperson of the college election committee is guided at all times by the Universities and University Colleges Act.

In the case of the Election Commission, the principle applies - which is to give all candidates a level playing field during the campaigning period. For civil servants, they have to be loyal to the government of the day and in the time of Tunku, were not allowed to join political parties. The best way to safeguard the integrity of the civil service is to help monitor what they do during the campaign period.

Third has to do with fair access to national media. The recent offer by the information minister of 10 minutes air-time over RTM was rejected by several opposition parties. They claim that it is too little time and therefore blatantly unfair. The minister responded by saying that these parties are arrogant.

In any case, whilst national television and radio has a very wide reach and is still influential in the rural areas, technology has somewhat made up for this inequality. It will be up to the electorate to judge whether there is fairness in this issue.

As for the privately-owned newspapers, radio stations and TV stations, they are not governed by this rule. As private entities, they can show clearly which side they support. In this election, it will be very clear that those media entities owned by political parties will go all out to support their owners. It is, as one media editor told his staff, “important to know who pays your salary at the end of the month”.

However, in the private sphere of each citizen’s personal life, it is within our rights to canvass, promote and make our choice clear for all to see. So long as no laws are broken, we cannot be prosecuted for expressing our choice publicly in a general election.

Lastly, the security forces will have a major role to play going forward. The temperature will soon reach boiling point. Already, several opposition parties have complained about escalating violence when they try to get their message across. Violence begets violence but so far Malaysians have remained very calm and patient.

Nonetheless, the security forces need to be neutral and go about their duties without fear or favour. Obviously some of them have already made up their minds about which coalition they are going to support but it is crucial that they be professional. Their professionalism will, in the long run, make this campaigning period the first tangible example of Malaysia’s developed nation status.

As we enter the campaigning period, it is the duty of all Malaysians and especially those who follow the news in this newspaper to help keep the peace. The best way being to record everything and publish them in your private blogs. Not only can we look back at the project with some satisfaction of having played a role in this historic 13th general elections, you would have kept the entire process safe and secure for the future generations.

NEIL KHOR completed his PhD at Cambridge University and now writes occasionally on matters that he thinks require better historical treatment. He is quietly optimistic about Malaysia's future.