What Happens Next?

Posted by Natalie Shobana Ambrose
By: Natalie Shobana Ambrose
theSun, Malaysia (pg 16 ) April 19th, 2013
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/columns/onpointe

Page turners tend to bring out the little child in us asking what happens next at the end of each chapter. It's the element of a good story and shows that people are paying attention and care enough to want to know "what next?"
It feels like we've been on a roller-coaster of a story the past year at least, being held captive by the big "what next" question of when the elections will be called. So many plans put on hold with the contingency "what if" parliament is dissolved on .... But now that we know, we can get on with our lives in some way.

Campaigning has been going on for the last couple of years and has definitely heightened in the last few weeks. With all the hullabaloo, it makes me wonder what will happen after the election.
Judging from the smear tactics, it won't be a pretty aftermath in terms of sore losers. As a voter this worries me because as we move closer to May 5, the tactics are becoming dirtier.

While I value my privacy, and candidates and parties that respect their opponents, this form of maturity is absent in Malaysia's political playing field. It's not a fight between a bad party versus a good party for voters here as it is made out to be. Our options seem to be between who is least vile.
Sunday night was my first experience of such revolting mud-slinging when late at night, someone walked up to my house and left some very nasty booklets about political leaders with doctored photos on its pages.

Printed in colour and on high quality paper, it just made me disgusted by how low politicians will stoop, how much money they have to waste on such rubbish, making me question where the money is coming from as I fill in my tax form. It could have been put to better use that's for sure.
If this was a tactic to influence my vote, it most certainly did but perhaps not in the manner hoped. Such behaviour has only highlighted clearer the insecurities of the people behind such acts.

As a voter, my concerns are deeper than the latest sex scandal.

My question of "what next" deals with wanting a safer, more liveable Malaysia, where I don't waste away in traffic jams so that I can have a good work-life balance, earn a living proportionate to my capabilities and potential so that I can choose how well I live, and live in a Malaysia where I don't have to be in constant fear of being robbed or raped always needing a chaperone. Those are just some of my concerns.

But can this be addressed? Right now, what is most important to our politicians is winning, but what is important to me is not who wins the vote but how the "what happens next" question is answered.
It's not just about policy but adapting to the change. Will our civil servants be mature enough to distinguish between serving the country and serving a party, and do our civil servants have that right – not just on paper but in reality.

A few days ago in Bangsar, flags of one political party were removed by authorities while flags of another party were left standing. The people questioned such acts and by the end of the day the flags were replanted. This incident was unnecessary and has left a bitter precursor of what to expect in the lead up to the election.
There seems to be this notion that winning is what matters most but what is the point of winning the battle and losing the war?

In the past few months, a few other countries have gone to the polls and their leaders won by the skin of their teeth. Venezuela has a new leader, yet his vote tally win was rather embarrassing at 50.7% compared to his counterpart's 49.1%.
Kenya's new president-elect Uhuru Kenyatta is in a similar position having just barely made it past the 50% mark with his opponent. From an outsider's view, these new leaders have not won but inherited a tumble weed deterioration of the economy, structural, institutional and social messes.

What is more important is how these leaders are going to turn things around for their countries.
That is the same question I am asking as a voter. It is obvious that we are not voting for the now but for a better Malaysia in the near future and for generations to come. It's time our politicians start answering the "what happens next" question and not in a rhetoric manner.

Natalie does not appreciate getting voting advice or polling questions through SMS at any time of the day, particularly past midnight.