GE13 - Election or carnival?

Money politics turning GE13 into a carnival

We are just 4 days into the official campaign period for the 13GE and we already see raining money all over the country. From Perlis to Sabah a large amount of money is being thrown into entertaining the people who will be going to the polls on May 5.Everywhere you go you see free dinners, lucky draws and entertainment by famous personalities. Where does all this money come from? Who pays for all these? Well that does not matter as it is all indirectly from taxpayers.

It is very regrettable that a very important and democratic process, general election, is being converted into a carnival. Instead of having serious and informative debates and forums on national issues that affect the people, we are being treated to free entertainment, free food, free gifts and free cash. Yes, everything is free everywhere you go. It is hoped that this free food and cash galore would turn the prevailing largely anti-government sentiments to one favorable to it.

Will all these money politics change the minds of the people to vote for the incumbent government? Will these tactics convince the voters to overlook the massive corruption, abuse of power and racism that is being openly practiced for far too long? It would be foolish and naïve of the government to believe so. The people have grown far more in maturity and wisdom to be taken in by such cheap gimmicks anymore.

 As I see it the majority of the voters have already made up their minds and have strong convictions on who they are going to vote, but as they cannot stop the large scale abuse of money, they just accept what is being provided as they feel it is rightly theirs. So it is the people who are taking the gonernment for a ride and not the other way round, as the latter believes.

This large scale money politicking must stop before a new culture of commercialization of our general elections takes foot. The politicians should stop sending the wrong message to the younger generations. The best means to stop this commercialization of elections is for the people to boycott such carnivals organized by political parties because if the demand stops the supply will do so too. Such an action from the people will convey to the politicians that they will not allow their dignity to be traded in for anything.

General election is not fun-filled carnival but a serious democratic process where the people exercise their sacred duty to choose their government and thereby their future. Elections should not be commercialized for whatever reasons as doing so will only be a mockery of democracy and lead to its demise.