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Frankly, I am deeply concerned about the need for voter education in our country. Anytime I meet a young person, I will check their voter status and encourage them to register as a voter. It is pleasing to note that of late, thanks to the effort of certain quarters, more and more have registered by such statistics must be accompanied by voter education. Each Malaysian must know their right to vote and why they have to vote wisely.

THIS REPORT by Adila Razak aptly titled Threats, Gratitude and Goodies in Merlimau reiterates that need.

Excerpt from that article:

"If you vote for PAS you're throwing your vote away. What have they done to help (you)?

"(In 2008 this polling district) gave (about) 190 votes to PAS and now you are asking me for help, so I can't work as hard for you. I'd be better off watching movies with my wife," he said.

Jokingly, he added that if the polling district is found to have given more than 100 votes to PAS again, he will trace those who did so.

This was not the first time Mohd Ali, who is also BN Merlimau by-election director posed a veiled threat to the constituents, as the 'I help you, you help me' approach infiltrates BN's campaign.

The infamous line was uttered by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak in the Sibu by-election last year, when he promised to fund flood mitigation if BN wins Sibu.

The seat was closely taken by DAP.

'Say thank you'

Similarly, the all-too-familiar theme of gratitude is cropping up too in Merlimau.

While the billboards with traditional Malay pantun on debts of gratitude seen before in Felda settlements are missing in Merlimau, the gratitude card was still played by BN particularly in the more rural areas of semi-urban Merlimau.

At the same event last night, Mohd Ali went as far as getting the audience of about 100 Chinese and Indian voters to say their thanks to him for putting a gazette on a parcel of land on which their 40 year-old temple stands.

"The land has been (gazetted) in 2004. Who converted the land (to temple land)? (Crowd says "government"). Which government? (Crowd says "BN") Who was the chief minister? I was, so say thank you. We have to remember this," he said.

Even questions on price hikes and subsidy cuts by elderly participants were answered with the same sentiments.

"We give the poor aid. If gas prices increase by 30 sen, you still get RM300 to RM400. Are any of you so hard up that you can't eat because of the price hikes? We even pay for you to fix your leaking roofs. We give you lots of things," Mohd Ali said.

Pakatan forced to 'import' issues

On this matter, the chief minister is not off the mark. Hands on and keen to shine in Malacca's first by-election, Mohd Ali has gone to the ground to solve many pending issues even before the campaigning period official began.

And if any issues are raised now, the residents involved can be sure to get a visit from the chief minister and have their problems solved pronto.

This clever strategy appears to win over voters and leaves the opposition no option but to 'import' issues from outside the constituency.

National issues like the Eye on Malaysia which closed shop after being moved to Malacca, national issues like petroleum royalty and even the unrest in the Middle East have thus far been staple fodder for the Pakatan Rakyat campaign.

CLICK HERE for more.

Do all voters know why they must vote and why their votes matter so much not forgetting the need to vote CORRECTLY? Do some vote for the perks involved?

If you have time, please read Support BN for more funds, Najib tells Kerdau voters and also PM approves almost RM10m for development in Kerdau.

Here are some of my ideas as to the pressing issues that must be dealt with before the dawning of the next GE.



The Needs of the Voter

1. Qualified citizens must know:

• registration requirements
• what identification are necessary for voting
• mechanisms for voting including the date, time, and place of voting

2. Voters must be educated NOW by all concerned parties including civil society groups so that they have/know:

• motivation and preparedness for full participation elections
• awareness of basic human rights
• knowledge about the rights, role, responsibilities and rights of voters
• awareness as to why elections is so important to ensure democracy
• understanding of what are the requirements of democratic elections
• the need for the secret ballot
• the importance of each vote and its impact on public accountability
• how votes translate into seats
• pressing issues that our country faces and how the scale must be tipped
  
• the what-ifs in life with regards to supporting the status quo
• the need to see the bigger picture of things and not just their personal needs
  

3. Voters must be taught basic democratic concepts such as:

• roles and responsibilities of citizens, government, political and special interests, the mass media, and the business and non-profit sectors
• the significance of the next election and why their votes matter greatly
• the importance of citizen participation in all aspects of democratic society.

The Role and Responsibilities of Political Parties

For a long time, I have exhorted the Opposition to get their election machinery rolling for there is no time to waste. They must get the right grassroot support and lots of assistance. The need to enlist helpers cannot be reiterated enough. Bear in mind that the Opposition does not have the resources that the BN coalition have at their disposal so there must be detailed planning being carried out at this point of time and also to increase their financial resources for their campaign strategies.

Some of the tasks that they need to execute effectively include:

• getting supporters get to the right polling site at the right time
• ensuring voters cast their ballot
• verification of the voters' list
• monitoring the situations that warrant disqualification of a candidate or voter
• where and how to lodge a complaint or file an appeal
• a special task-force to that knows what needs to be monitored during the campaign period, on election day, and in the immediate post-election period
• awareness as to the incidence of Elections Offense as spelled out HERE.

Election offences (Excerpt taken from THIS SITE)

There are a few offences under election law. Most of these pertain to acts which induce a voter to cast his ballot for a candidate. It is also an offence to use these actions to induce voters not to cast ballots at all. These offences extend to using third parties as agents to commit them.

* It is an offence to provide food, drinks or refreshments with a view to induce voters to either vote for a particular candidate or not vote at all.

* It is illegal to provide monetary rewards for voting for a certain candidate.

* It is an offence to threaten a person to vote for a candidate or not to vote. In 2004 this was extended to include "spiritual threats". This was due to the Islamic Party of Malaysia(PAS) threatening citizens in less developed parts of the country with eternal damnation if they did not vote for the PAS and that a vote for them would be rewarded by God.

* It is an offence to obstruct passage to and from a voting centre. Setting up a location for any candidate within 50 yards (50 m) of the voting centre is an offence. Similarly, loitering in this zone is also an offence. Only voters are allowed in this zone on voting day.

* It is technically an offence to provide transportation to a voting centre. However, this is not normally enforced as all parties do this to some degree. It is a further offence to use a vehicle that is normally rented out (such as a taxi or hired bus) to provide such transportation. The only exception to this is that it is allowed to provide for the crossing of rivers. No passengers of any vehicle can be forced to alight within 50 yards (46 m) of a candidate's booth on voting day.

* Each candidate is not allowed to spend more than RM 200,000 (parliamentary) or RM 100,000 (state) for campaigning under Section 19 of the Elections Offences Act, 1954. It has been alleged, however, that the governing Barisan Nasional coalition spent around RM1.5 billion in the 2004 general election, far more than the RM94,300,000 permitted under the regulations.

If all voters are aware of their rights, roles, responsibilities and violations etc, surely they will be in a better position at any ceramah and will not suffer any nonsense from any speaker!!!

Needless to say, there could be some who would prefer to preach the sermon of ignorance so that voters are unaware of their constitutional and legal rights, about the electoral process, and about democratic practices. An enlightened voter is one who is empowered to know he/she can make that difference via the ballot box.

I surmise that it is the lack of voter education that makes MANY vote the same party that makes the same mistakes whilst the enlightened ones cry at how their fate is being determined by those who DO NOT KNOW what to do and why they must do it!

The gap of knowledge actually creates an uneven playing field in an election scenario. The status quo may have a better grassroots network through which to disseminate information and would be in a better position to persuade voters to vote for them.

At the same time, some segments of any potential voters may not have been in the target audience of certain political parties for reasons known to them. However, I believe this will not happen in the next GE because every vote counts and all are going out - even if it means reaching out to passive voters, fence-sitters and the elderly.

As such, I opine that NGOs, civil society organizations and as many as possible go all out in voter education and not leave it to political parties alone.

It is really up to you and me. Look at Voter Get Voters. He has single-handedly taken on a solo campaign to persuade as many potential voters to register and hammered in the fact that if we want to make change, it is now or never.

However, the situation is very critical now. BN is in overdrive while PR is trying its best to keep the coalition together. At the same time, there is also MCLM and Hindraf in the bigger picture. There is so much at stake and all must work together to battle the same enemy!!

TO do that, there has to be sufficient public voter education information so that voters are compelled to voice their concerns and to ensure politicians can be held accountable for their words and actions.

Once they have been given such information, I believe the average lay man will be more active in ensuring accountability and honesty in public administration. Then perhaps, we can once again be thankful for democracy and the things we hold true in our hearts - because we love Malaysia.

Here's the tagline for Voter Get Voters: