Election Watch: Knowing What To Do on Polling Day

Now that nomination day today is done, the battle for next GE has now begun. Considering there will be estimated of 3 million new voters & another substantial numbers of overseas citizens (registered voters who have never voted before) getting ready to perform their duties on coming May 5, its such a bewildering situation where the Election Committee didnt make efforts to educate the would-be voters on do & dont during the polling days. Thanks to NGOs' efforts, now the new voters will have ideas on code of conducts the polling days. Check these out from multiple sources that i've got.

The Voter Agent Training recently conducted at the PJ Civic Centre brought to the fore some very critical issues which every voter ought to know.

These are :
1) As soon as you enter the polling station, you will be ushered to Kerani 1, who will check your personal identity against your NRIC. He/she will then read out your name, NRIC number and the Siri/Bilangan number in accordance to the List provided by the Election Commission (SPR).

2) Once all that is verified, Kerani 1 will pass your NRIC to the next officer, Kerani 2.

3) Here, Kerani 2 will hand you a ‘Kertas Undi,’ which is identified by its Serial Number. As a Voter, please know your rights. You have the constitutional right under our Election Laws to NOT accept the ‘Kertas Undi’ that the officer assigns to you. You CAN and should ask for a different ‘Kertas Undi’ from a different book. To do that, just say to the officer, “Encik (or Cik), saya minta Kertas Undi dari buku lain atau dari bawah.” Translated, that is, “Sir (or Madam), I like to request a different ballot paper from a different book or from below.” This must be done so that the Voter CANNOT be identified via the SPR’s Master List. It will take just ONE voter to upset the whole sequence, which will eventually affect the SPR’s Master List for that voting centre. The aim of doing this is to SAFEGUARD every Voter’s identity. No one has the right to know how you want to vote.

4) Once your ‘Kertas Undi’ is issued to you, just stand there and do NOT leave immediately.Instead please CHECK BOTH SIDES of the ballot paper in order to ensure that there are NO pencil markings or any other form of suspicious markings on it. If there are, REJECT the ballot paper issued to you and instead request for these markings to be either erased to your satisfaction or for you to be issued with a new ‘Kertas Undi.’ Also do NOT accept any loose-lying ‘Kertas Undi,’ which may have been strewn about because it was rejected by someone else earlier. ALWAYS ask for a fresh ballot paper from the book. An alternative, as suggested by certain other people via email, is to bring along your own eraser so that when you see any pencil marks, you can rub them off completely yourself.

5) Kerani 2 will then hand the ‘Kertas Undi’ to the next officer, Kerani 3. Kerani 3 carries a seal, which will be used to stamp your ‘Kertas Undi.’ PLEASE watch carefully that the officer stamps your ballot paper FULLY and CLEARLY. After that, see that it is folded into two before the ballot paper is handed over to you. Incomplete stamp mark can and will render your ballot paper as spoiled vote.

6) You can now proceed to the voting booth.

7) At the booth, please ensure that the ballot paper has only your ONE marking of a single X. If for whatever reason, suspicious or otherwise, you overlooked some pencil marks of numbers or markings on the front or back of the ballot paper (ie other than your own mark), please ERASE those markings completely. REMEMBER, these markings can and will render your ballot spoiled – so be Extra Cautious. The most careful approach is to check your ‘Kertas Undi’ thoroughly before you accept it from the officer. REMEMBER to check it in front of the relevant officer so that if you have to reject it, he is right in front of you.

Please be aware that the indelible ink (marked on ur fingernail upon registration) takes 30 seconds to dry and when the folded ballot paper is opened with both hands, there is a great likelihood that this ballot paper will become smudged and therefore rendered as a spoiled vote.

 

To prevent this happening, instruct kerani 3 not to fold your ballot paper so you can check it for markings straight away. Make sure you handle the ballot paper only with your right hand as the left hand finger has indelible ink that is still wet. Move to ballot station and mark X in the box of your chosen candidate with your right hand without handling anything with your left hand.

8) Do not be afraid or cower in fear when you have to express your objections because there are representatives from the various participating political parties who will be there to observe the whole voting process and they are there to assist you as and when you need. As mentioned earlier, It is this kind of information that GUILTY PARTY does not want others to know. They thrive on public ignorance so that they can do whatever they feel like brazenly. One way to stop them is to send this information to as many of your friends as possible so that everyone, on voting day, knows exactly what to do, and? is fully AWARE of his/her constitutional voting rights. Print this out and keep it safely. When Voting Day finally arrives, it will be handy for you to access and read again. PLEASE bring along your own pencil ERASER. It is VITAL that we get this information across to as many people as possible.

9) UTMOST IMPORTANT!!! Do not wear any clothes bearing the symbol of any political parties into the polling hall. Knowing the tide against the rakyat, DO NOT even wear anything that deemed sensitive or have anti-government themes such as Bersih, Himpunan Hijau Lynas etc. The officer can deny u the opportunity to enter the hall to vote. U've waited 5 years, dont waste the chance to vote just because of some silly mistakes....

 

"The idea of election is much more interesting to me than the election itself. The act of voting is in itself the defining moment"

- Jeff Malvoin -

Election Watch: Being Apolitical & Non-Voter

Read some articles recently in Star newspaper & MSN website about youths today who are being apolitical & non-voter. A non-voter means he/she is not a registered voter who is not eligible to go to the ballot box in his/her country's general election. Main reasons are either they are not qualified due to age etc or they are apolitical. Seems there are confusion on the actual meaning of being apolitical. Oxford classified it as "not interested or involved in politics" while Collins classified it as "politically neutral, without political attitudes, content or bias".

My understanding? The first one hit the bull's eye straight away although the latter meaning showed a more reasonable explanation which will be accepted by any rationale person. Sad truth is that many citizens of this country, the eligible voters did not have themselves registered as voters due to their apolitical stance. I used to be one too, for not registering myself as a voter. I was just frustrated with the political circus going around, frustrated with things such as economy, civil service etc that should have been managed better, frustrated seeing how other countries overtook us economically & socially. Even with all that, I was still contented as long as I can still earn enough to survive in this country. Moreover, what can a vote do to change a country?  However, the last election in 2008 totally changed all that.

No one expects voters in 4 states (Selangor, Penang, Perak & Kedah) will vote out the state government of the day & elect parties from "the other side". From 2008, u can see for yourself it provides the people a stronger voice in Parliament debating against controversial government projects such as one-sided toll concessionaires, implementation of GST, the installation of AES & Lynas plant etc. Whats the benefits of these projects? Check out all the sources in the Net & u decides urself with ur rationale mind. This forced the ruling government, to temporarily suspend the implementation till further notice. The ruling government themselves initiated some changes & gave goodies to the citizens such as BR1M etc. Without strong opposition voice & with 2/3 Parliament majority, do u think this is possible?

Reasons often given by apolitical people are as below:-

1) My one vote wont change anything
Theoratically & numerically, u may be right if ur speaking as one person. 10 people saying this means a group is saying it. 1000 people saying this mean a community is saying it. Election Committee estimated that 5 million of eligible citizens did not register as voters, which means one third of eligible voters (of total 16 million eligible citizens) have been denied of the right to vote (or rather chose not to vote). Does these numbers big enough to make a difference then?

2) Nobody approach me & give me the registration form
Voter registration campaigns been carried out for past 5 years in many places. Even though ur not being approached, post office & the political parties service centre are the next best places to register urself.

3) I can't stand the long queues at polling stations
Utter bullshit. If u can patiently wait for hours waiting to get free McDonald meals or to buy the latest editions of Iphone on first day of launching, then what's holding u back?

4) I can't stand the heat
Get an umbrella, sunblock, battery-operated portable fan & ur sunglass. By the way, Vitamin D, derived from UV rays benefits ur calcium metabolism, boosts ur immunity & has regulatory roles in cell proliferation & insulin secretion.

Message to the apolitical people, the question here is not about who are you voting for but what are you doing to improve the situation? If ur not happy with ur current handphone line service provider, u don't just sit still. U complain to the customer service call centre. If service still suxx, then its time to change to a new provider. When we change, its only then we are able to compare the service between the old and the new.  However, if u keep whining about how bad is the service etc but yet, nothin is done to improve the situation. Maybe sounds little harsh here, but its solely ur fault then & no one else.

So, April 5 is the judgement day. If ur a registered voter but chose not to vote last time round, do it for once this time. If u need to take a flight, do it (By the way, Air Asia & Malindo Air having promo fares). If u need a friend to tag along, get one then. If u need to work on Sunday 5th, perform ur duties as a employee & then go perform ur duties as a citizen of tis country. If ur not a registered voter, go talk with people whom ur comfortable with, who are voters & ask. Then, reflect. Its never too late to register for next round.

 

"Loyalty to country always, loyalty to government, when it deserves it"

- Mark Twain -



Election Watch: Parliamentary & State Seats

Now that Parliament has been dissolved & election date will be announced anytime soon, will post on opinions & views on the local political scene and today will be the first one. Approximately 3 million newly registered voters (not inclusive of the phantom ones) are going to the polls for the first time.

However, based on my observation & talks with the people, apparently many are still confused or have different knowledges about voting for candidates at parliamentary level & state level. Let me explain in few bits here. 1 parliamentary constituency usually consists of minimum 2 state seats, with the exception of Federal Territory Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya & Labuan. For example, at my place, Kelana Jaya parliamentary constituency consists of Subang Jaya & Seri Setia state seat. Below are the current incumbents with their parties:-

P. 104 KELANA JAYA
LOH GWO BURNE (PAKATAN RAKYAT - PKR)

N.31 SUBANG JAYA
HANNAH YEOH (PAKATAN RAKYAT - DAP)

N.32 SERI SETIA
NIK NAZMI NIK AHMAD (PAKATAN RAKYAT - PKR)

Look out for your polling & voting areas. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Malaysian_electoral_districts In the election, I will be voting under Kelana Jaya parliamentary & Subang Jaya state seat. How to know which area ur voting for? Go check your voter status at Election Committee website www.spr.gov.my. Some telecommunication company offers sms service for u to check the status. Users can also sms to 15888 & type "SPR SEMAK xxxx (IC no)" to know their areas. Once checked, dont panic if ur areas are not supposed what it should be. For example, u could be staying in USJ, Subang Jaya but instead of voting for N.31 Subang Jaya state seat, ur could be assigned to the nearby N.30 Kinrara. Some are worst, being assigned to areas that they never set foot on. Dont need to be panic as this is a result from factors below:-

1) U did not update your latest address in the electoral roll with Election Committee
2) Election Committee had area declination process (usually this is unannounced), separating the zones into few areas.

Most of the time, this incident happens due to the 2nd factor. Whether its permissible or lawful or not, up to u to decide, which is why much-criticized Bersih committee is fighting for the Election Commitee to clean up the electoral roll. Even if ur assigned to vote in areas other than where are u living now, for once, make an effort to go and make your vote counts. If u need to take a flight, do it. If u need to tumpang in a stranger's car, do it. If u think u need a GPS to help u to find the place, do it.

Bear in mind, if u dunno, the federal government Cabinet will be formed from candidates, from the party with most seats and these are the people ur putting ur votes to shape our country's political, economic & social environment & so forth. Meanwhile, state governments are formed with candidates sitting on state seats. Looking at seat composition in Kelana Jaya, all seats belong to Pakatan Rakyat (PR). The 2 current state assemblymen above sit in Selangor state assembly & helped PR to rule Selangor since they hold the majority state seats in Selangor state assembly, refer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selangor_State_Assembly Our Kelana Jaya member of parliament (MP) represented PR at federal government level but BN still holds the majority shares of seats in Parliament. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysian_Parliament This gave them the mandate to form the current ruling government.

Now, back to the voting of the candidates in the next election. In the past, most voters' tactic of having check & balance factor while voting is to vote for the Opposition for the state seat while voting for BN for parliamentary seat. It could also be the other way round, depending on how do they look at the whole picture. Problem is many people still dunno what are they voting for & how can their local concerns being disseminated. U see, if ur rubbish not collected by the local contractors, the increasing crime rates at ur area, increasing sights of illegal immigrants etc, u go to the local service centre & see ur state assemblymen (or rather women) for immediate solutions. Its their duties to look into this & bring up to the local municipal council, local police authorities etc or worst, the state assembly to be debated if problems still unresolved.

Its ok to inform the MP too but this situation is like your office toilet often ran out of toilet papers & instead of complaining to ur departmental manager, u tell your general manager to highlight the issue in the directors' meeting. Ur MP's job is to look & highlight the issues which may need to be addressed at national level. Eg, the increasing sights of illegal immigrants at ur area could be result of failures of Immigration department staffs to check their identities & monitor their movements etc. This, could caused increased crime rates & many other social problems.

Check the background of the candidates & the appearance. He/she doesnt need to be an orator but check out Youtube during the campaigning period or better still, go check out the campaign speech expected to be held near your place. A MP also needed in debating Bill in Parliament which will may affecting us in our daily life. Think AES, GST etc. Look out for his/her abilities to give public speech & present his/her points well. Bear in mind, being loud does not mean having charisma. Think Datuk Ibrahim Ali, Datuk Bung Mokhtar, Datuk Tajuddin Abd Rahman etc. Bear in mind also, we are looking at people who can become Minister material & not racial bigots, sexists or people with big egos. Now, if ur having a problem in ur area & ur state assemblymen is from one camp while your MP is from another camp. It will be alright if both have the same goal of wanting to serve the people. What if one of them is just not interested?

My view? Vote for changes in both seats & ensure all are given to same camp. In my area, I wont change the incumbents parties of course. Your rationale will helps you in making your choice. Happy Voting !!!!

"Ask not what the country can do for you, Ask what can you do for your country"

-John Fitzgerald Kennedy-

Down There, Across The Causeway III - Universal Studio

Continuing from the last trip in Spore, the 3rd day was the real reason we made da trip to Singapore. Arrived at noon to enter Universal Studio Singapore, or rather USS. Got the tix at a real deal MYR 158.00, bought earlier at KL from Mum's agent. Let me know if ur interested ya? The theme park had 8 different themed areas but best to describe them visually instead with its individual attractions.

NEW YORK - USS inhouse band, Rockafellas singing your fave 60s music

HOLLYWOOD - Entrance to Steven Spielberg's creation "Lights Camera Action"

 

SCI FI - One of USS main attraction, Transformers ride. Worth the thrill !!!

 

SCI FI - My fave roller coaster, the double ride of Battlestar Galactica

 

EGYPT - Meet Brendan Fraser wannabe

 

EGYPT - The ride of, need I to say more???
 

LAND OF FAR FAR AWAY- A must to watch Donkey's 3D standup show. Pretty hilarious

 

 

MADAGASCAR - One of my fave characters, The Penguins after the dancing show

 

THE PARADE - Held at the end of da day, showcasing all characters/themes in the park. A must see

 






THE PARADE - Even Marilyn & Betty wanna make an appearance

 

With Ray & Heyley babe after the parade (after which the artificial snow fell)