As talks of the impending General Elections heat up, Richard Loh urges Malaysians to reevaluate what patriotism really means, to think deep as well as ask the right questions before casting their votes.

Malaysians must start to LOVE the right thing and in the right way. My earlier posting, Love is a Dangerous Game to Play With! (which can also be found here) highlights, in general, love between two sexes and how it can be good or how it can hurt as well.

Love – A deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person.

Patriotic – Feeling, expressing, or inspired by love for one’s country.

Over the decades of propaganda by the ruling regime, the people are inclined to think that only by loving the ruling government will they be recognised as patriots who love the country – a misconception of loving the government first and nation second.

The second misconception of the people is that the 50-decade-old regime who has begun to think and act like the nation’s wealth belongs only to them, has the right to do so; the rakyat are their servants to toy with.

The third misconception is that the rakyat must be appreciative and grateful of what the government has done and is doing.

These misconceptions must be promptly eradicated from the rakyat’s mind or else the future of this nation will be in ruin.

There can be no love for a ruling government. Governance can only be categorized as, good, poor or bad governance. The rakyat need not be appreciative or grateful to the government for what they are doing, for better or worse, as they are elected and paid for to do their jobs of running the nation.

This nation can and will only be bankrupted or destroyed by those who currently hold power and not the rakyat. Patriotism cannot be questioned by the ruling government – who covered up their wrongdoings – when the rakyat woke up and protested against them.

GE 13 is just round the corner and voters must start grading the performances of  the UMNO/BN rule in the past five decades. Leave love and patriotism aside as they cannot be used to gauge the performances of the government. You can love and like PM Najib but keep that personal. The scrutiny must be deep-rooted in long term results that will benefit the country and rakyat, and not short term ones or ad hoc giveaways that come once every five years.

This coming General Elections, voters must be very attentive of the candidates they are going to vote in to form the next government. They must ask a lot of questions and find the answers themselves. For example, why are they giving out one-time RM500 cash to those earning RM3K and below now? Why not look into long-term solutions for those earning RM3k and less, ensuring high purchasing power  in the RM3k? Can families own a home and a Kancil and afford regular meals for four with that RM3k?

"Guess it's toast for the rest of the week." | Photo by Sean MacEntee | Source: http://www.flickr.com/x/t/0097009/photos/smemon/5982086509/

They say that what goes up must come down, but I do not see this truth in the prices of consumer goods nor the corruption index. What is the ruling government going to do about these issues?

If you are patriotic and love your country, you must make the right choice by voting in a credible, competent and clean government, one with the integrity to treat all Malaysians as equal and with respect. Failing to do so will see in ruin the nation that you love and are patriotic about.

GE 13.  Love your country, vote wisely.

More on this topic when you check out the following articles:

1. Consumers and Voters – The Similarities

2. Educating Voters through UndiMsia!

3. Panduan Pilihanraya

4. Launch of Laporan Rakyat by UndiMsia! and Center for Public Policy Studies

5. #IdolaDemokrasi Empowering the Youth

(Featured image accompanying this article on the main page courtesy of Ko_An Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ko_an/25515836/)

A retired 60-year old trying to do and help to make a possible change for a better Malaysia.

One reply on “Love Your Country, Vote Wisely”

  1. 1. For example, why are they giving out one-time RM500 cash to those earning RM3K and below now?
    2. Why start an investment plan for those earning RM3,000K and below?

    Because these 60% are easy to brainwash and hence the target market. Thanks to a dumbing down of the education system and a captive media it's easy to buy votes now. As for those living in the cities/towns it's a different story. Unfortunately this 60% will swallow the bait hook, line, sinker and the trawler easily. This will guarantee UMNO another five years unfortunately.

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