Leave the racist diatribe in the gutter
Erna Mahyuni, Malay Mail Online
There’s one thing I love about election season: my neighbourhood looks much better. I can expect potholes fixed, freshly tarred roads, cleaner drains and sidewalks as well as the odd invite for events involving food.
What I don’t love about the election system: the unflinching display of human ugliness. And I’m not talking about our politicians.
This is when any nominated candidate will be vulnerable to wild accusations or salacious rumours.
If I were to run for office (that will not happen, promise) I am sure if someone spread the rumour that I’m actually Balinese with dual nationalities, it would spread like wildfire on WhatsApp.
This is why I won’t run for office: my mother will probably send me said WhatsApp message with crying emojis. The ugly Malaysian who will go on about “Banglas”, “keling” and the like will have no qualms about making an old woman cry.
Don’t just watch politicians during election season ― watch your family. Watch your friends. Watch your neighbours. This is when you’ll see who they really are and you may not like what you see.
Think it’s only the people who don’t vote like you who would stoop to sending nasty remarks or belittle other races? Elections tend to bring out both the best and worst in Malaysians and though we’ve had a nice few weeks of people pooling money to help people vote, we have people making you wonder why we should vote at all.
Ask the right questions about a candidate, in the right way. It’s fine to say out loud, “I’ve heard rumours so-and-so is not Malaysian by birth/has dual nationalities. Can someone clarify?”
It is not OK to say stuff like “Muka macam Bangla betul ke dia orang sini?” (He looks Bangladeshi, is he really Malaysian?)
Malaysians love to complain about how dirty elections are and how uncouth politicians can be.
But sometimes, we need a reminder that our leaders are often the ones we deserve so maybe if we want better politics and better politicians, we can perhaps start by being better human beings.
