Aziz Bin Ahmad
I watched the recent elections with cautious interest. I am wary of what the future holds, and at the same time weary of all the ominous warnings & premonitions put forward by both sides. Both have their grounds in saying what they said, but it only makes life more confusing for the ones, like us, who have to pay for the choice (or mistake) we make.
I don’t want us to end up like another country, where passing one law can take months and years, and the citizens who need it the most are the ones who suffer while the lawmakers debating it are sitting in a cool, comfortable large hall, wearing tailored suits, chauffeured there in limousines, and returning home to decent, if not decadent meals with an expensive cigar as a finish.
I do realize there is a genuine need for an alternative voice, where necessary, to be raised, and it deserves an equal amount of attention. However, if the voice, whether alternative or mainstream, is raised mostly, if not purely, for political mileage, then the purpose of serving the people is defeated.
There are times when we need decisive action for the benefit of the people, even if it means u let go of a chance to whack your opponents, and instead utter something that actually endorses them
I have no beef against high defence spending because protecting our nation, no matter how indefensible it may seem, is still important. I also have no mutton against high spending for health, especially since many of us are growing old and the high cost of living means we can’t keep suing our own kids to pay our medical bills. But are we simply allowing the tide to rise and potentially smash us?
I am worried about housing, jobs, cost of living – I know these are not unusual worldwide and our only rational way out is adding value to ourselves, but I do feel the tension when paying and paying, then seeing the signs that soon, the paying will overtake the earning.
I do sometimes envy the European work culture that is very family focused and I wonder if it’s in our genes or just our gullibility that makes us work and work and work, and to simply make profits for those above at the expense of time with our family and our health.
I voted for what I thought will best secure my future. I voted without fear from any quarters, and if a certain old man had run in my constituency, I might have voted for him too. I know him from his words and actions that he is someone worth voting for and to place the trust for your future in. I also know there is still a good leader in the team which contested my area, and I trust he can lead us well for another five years at least.
I may be a small voice in a nation of millions, but I know I matter because I am here – working to contribute to industry, spending to contribute to the economy, ready to pick up arms when called to, basically being here to be a part of this nation.
I am here. Do what it takes but don’t let all of us down.
