General Election, 2008
Tomorrow is election day, and it's what everyone is talking about. This is only the 12th general election held in Malaysia, so it's still a really big deal. Tyreal will not be able to accompany me to Bangkok tomorrow, he will fly out on Sunday instead. Tomorrow, he needs to drive 3 hours to his home town to cast his ballot, then turn around and drive 3 hours back to Kuala Lumpur. All to support the "illusion of democracy" as my dinner companions put it.
Malaysian TV and Radio are state owned. The ruling party decided years ago that it was not in its best interest to allocate air time to opposition parties trying to deliver their manifesto to the masses. According to some people in this city, districts who elect and support opposition candidates suddenly find their government-provided services lacking - or even absent altogether. No wonder the ruling party won over 90% of the Parliament seats in the last election - with a record number of candidates running unopposed.
Some believe that this year's election will be different. What the government in Malaysia can not control is the Internet, blogs, YouTube and SMS messages. Can this make a difference? Perhaps. In 2000, only 15% of Malaysia's 25 million people had Internet access - today, that number is almost 50%! (By comparison, roughly 50% of U.S. households had access in 2000, and 71% have access today.)
So, do Google and YouTube have the power to change the world? Guess we'll have to see.
By the way - how many people were aware that the Malaysian Parliament was dissolved earlier this year, forcing a general election one year ahead of schedule? Who thought the Florida democratic primary in the U.S. would even matter?
About Me
- Tom Dendy
- Passion, Innovation and Creativity best describe my approach to life. Over twenty years of rich experiences have given me quite a broad perspective of the world. I have led engineering teams on Nuclear Submarines as well as creative teams in small start-up companies. One constant throughout my professional life has been the study of individuals and the complexities of human motivation and relationships. Individual excellence is easy - Team excellence is an accomplishment.
1 comment:
Hi Tom, to answer your question. YouTube, Blogs, The Internet can make a difference a world suffocated with systematic information filtering. Our very own political blogger, Jeff Ooi - jeffooi.com, has been sued by the Govt for spreading news that 'compromises' national security. Yesterday, the people made their votes count and voted this remarkable man into the Malaysian Parliment! No doubt his blogs goes on but now, we have his voice in the Parliment and he can probe the many Govt scandals in the House! This is Democracy and I am 'proud' to proclaim that the Elections were transparent and unexpectedly, not rigged And No Illusion this time round. To sum it up for you, the Govt still win but for the 1st time in history, they didnt secure 2/3 majority. And for the 1st time too, the Opposition has taken 5 States. As Jeff puts it, this is a Tsunami Victory for the Opposition. The Blogger, who has diligently sat behind his PC each day, has brought his issues from the Virtual World to the Real World. The Transformation is now Complete.
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