By Niza Shimi
I very much regret that I didn’t vote in 2018 for the 14th general elections (GE14). Although my one vote wouldn’t have overturned the outcome, it would have made me feel like a responsible citizen. I would have exercised my constitutional right to choose.
For a woman, the right to choose is something so precious we grab it with both arms. When once we weren’t even able to get an education, these days we can choose to be educated as high and as far as we want to go. There is opportunity aplenty.
The same can be said about the choice of spouse. Women couldn’t choose back in my mother’s generation. Imagine being married off to a strange person you hardly knew. But society was different then. It would be difficult to impose arranged marriages today.
So, when you have been given the right to choose the government that will be responsible for the running of this country for the next five years, you should grab it. Exercise that right because you can. Nobody can take that right away from you if you are 18 years and above. It’s yours.
Why did I feel guilty for not voting? I can’t explain it. Looking at this old photograph with our first Prime Minister (then called Chief Minister) Tunku Abdul Rahman sitting with his first cabinet reminded me of how far we’ve come as a nation.
The year was 1955. Malaya held the first general elections on July 27, 1955. The Cabinet was sworn in on August 9 by the Chief Justice of Malaya. The nation would gain independence in 1957.
Malaya had a High Commissioner. The Cabinet was not sworn in by the Yang di Pertuan Agong as that office was created only after Malaya gained independence. Malaya was then still ruled by its colonial masters.
Among the Members of the Cabinet of the Federation of Malaya, 1955:
Sitting from the left: C.J. Thomas (Secretary of Finance), H. S. Lee (Minister of Transport), Tunku Abdul Rahman (Chief Minister and Minister of Home Affairs), Donald MacGillivray (High Commissioner), D.J. Watherson (Chief Secretary), J.P. Hogan (Attorney General), and Dr. Ismail Abdul Rahman (Minister of Natural Resources).
Standing from the left: Bahaman Samsuddin (Deputy Minister of Home Affairs), Abdul Razak Hussein (Minister of Education), O.J. Spencer (Secretary of Economy), Abdul Aziz Ishak (Minister of Agriculture), A.H.P. Humphrey (Secretary of Defence), Sulaiman Abdul Rahman (Minister of Local Government, Housing and Town Planning), V. T. Sambanthan (Minister of Labour), Sardon Jubir (Minister of Works), Leong Yew Koh (Minister of Health), Ong Yoke Lin (Minister of Communications, Telecommunications and Posts), A.S.H. Kemp (Secretary of State), and Too Joon Hing (Deputy Minister of Education).
What were the thoughts of those Malayan ministers at the time? The elections was the first step towards gaining independence. Failure was not an option. Every member of that First Cabinet knew the importance of nationhood. There must have been a spirit of compromise and unity.
How could I have thrown away my vote in 2018 because I was fed up with the politics then? These men and women in 1955 struggled to give me the independence to choose the government I want. Maybe the winner is not my choice but I did not waste the opportunity.
There was blood sweat and tears spilled for us to get the right to vote. This year, I will vote at GE15 on November 19. So should you!
Niza Shimi is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav.
Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
Newswav is solely an aggregation platform and hosts the content. The views expressed and content above including media (pictures, videos, etc) were provided by the author. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact Newswav.
