COMMENT | There has been a lot of frustration when it come to politics in Malaysia. With an incumbent party that doesn’t have the faith of the people and an opposition that is slowly breaking down and getting in shambles, there is even a movement to ask people to spoil their votes (#UndiRosak).

I would say that it all started in 2008. It was the 12th general election and I was excited. The spirit of trying to break the stronghold of BN (which had been the government ever since the country achieved independence) was strong.

I didn’t expect the government to change then; I just wanted to have a stronger opposition so that there would be a fair check and balance. However, the results shocked us. BN VIPs were losing right left and centre, starting with Umno’s Shahrizat Abdul Jalil to PKR’s Nurul Izzah Anwar in Lembah Pantai.

BN was still the government but their majority was severely affected. As for the states, four states fell to the opposition, Kelantan, Penang, Kedah and Perak. But using dirty tactics, Perak eventually fell back to BN. Everyone was excited.

Then came 2013 and the 13th general election. Spirits were just as high, if not higher, than it was in 2008. Even the youth came out to vote and it showed. The opposition won the popular vote. Unfortunately, gerrymandering meant that BN still held the government.

It is now 2018 and time for another general election. If we look at the progression, it would be natural to think that this could be the year BN’s 61-year hold on the country can be released. But I don’t think I can say that I am that confident.

The frustration and fatigue are setting in hard. People feel that nothing can be done and it might even lead to them giving up. So many are already entertaining the idea that voting could just be an fruitless exercise and will stay away from the polling centres.

But there has been a group of people who, probably out of this same frustration, has decided that it will take matters into its own hands. These civil society leaders who have always been apolitical have now gone political.

Fighting for the people

The first is Maria Chin Abdullah. She used to be the chairperson of Bersih, an NGO that fights for clean, fair and transparent elections. Maria resigned from her post in Bersih and offered herself up to run for office under the opposition banner.

The second is Wan Saiful Wan Jan. He was the longtime CEO of the think tank Institute of Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas). He resigned from his post as well and will now be running for office under the opposition’s component party Bersatu.

It definitely says a lot when normal people feel they need to take action and enter politics. They may have their critics who will be disappointed because they think that these civil society leaders should be standing above politics, but I beg to differ.

These people are used to fighting for the people and actually taking action to make it happen. Their injection into the political system is good because Malaysia has long been ruled by politicians who make politics their career.

These are the people who would campaign hard so that the people can hear what they want to hear. And once they win, all they do is manipulate the system for their own personal interests (or their parties). This is true for both sides, the BN and opposition.

I hope this would open the eyes of the people so that they would not lose hope. Those who are calling for #UndiRosak should also realise that people are taking positive and proactive steps instead of giving up. So let’s keep the faith.

My only hope is that this idealistic spirit will continue on and these people like Maria and Wan Saiful can actually work within the system to bring about change. My worry is that they could eventually get sucked into the system and turn out jaded or selfish like so many others.

So let the 14th general election come. Let us listen to the campaigns and then all head out to vote. Maybe after ten years, and no matter how frustrated and fatigued we are, this general election could be the one where it can all happen.

ZAN AZLEE is a writer, documentary filmmaker, journalist and academic. He has created a playlist of songs which consists of Rage Against The Machine, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Dead Kennedys on his Spotify account to play in the car on the morning of voting. Visit FATBIDIN.COM to view his work.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.