I read with revulsion in the Sun Newspaper the other day that the election commission of Malaysia, in response to civil societies insistence on the need for overseas Malaysian citizens to be accorded the right to vote; is considering imposing the rule that voting rights only be given to those expatriates that pay tax to the Malaysian government. This is just wrong on so many levels...
In a democracy, every adult citizen deserves the right to vote. This is a basic democratic right. No exceptions... no compromises. No discrimination regardless of gender, social status, wealth, political affiliation, sexual preference, religious or non religious... no exceptions whatsoever.
Once you start having exceptions, you put a nail in the heart of democracy. Every concession, every compromise, every exception is a piercing strike at the beating heart of democracy and freedom( I don't think democracy is the ultimate form of government, but that is for another write up). This idea that those that do not pay income tax don't deserve to vote is flawed.
If this is so, what about those that do not pay income tax, living in Malaysia? Is voting only reserved for the rich and the middle class? The poor do not deserve to vote? Are they voiceless in the democratic process? I am pretty sure expatriates overseas aren't exactly drowning in poverty(I certainly hope not). But to have one rule for them and another in Malaysia is not feasible, and legally problematic. There is something called the constitution.
This just screams nationalistic jingoism from the government; and let's face it, the election commission is a government organisation. For years, the incumbent government has been trying to force the perception that Malaysian citizens in foreign countries are unpatriotic. Yes... most weren't happy with the way this nation was being run when they left for greener pastures(which in a lot of scenarios turned out to not be so green after all; Malaysians overseas had had to work almost doubly hard to start from scratch).
Just like us, they want only the best for Malaysia, and they want Malaysia to improve, not to stagnate in the cesspool of third world nations; moving backwards into a banana republic. I wont get into the dangers of nationalism in this write up(that's a completely different post), but to put it bluntly, it is a dangerous precept for all manner of atrocities and violations. Nationalism(or nationalistic fervour, however you put it) is the ugly doppelgänger that preys on the the working class while enriching the rich. Do not be fooled by it, there is nothing good about it.
Loving your country is fine, in moderation. Remember that we are all children of this planet. We have a responsibility to all humans. For the human brotherhood(and sisterhood). Oh well... that is enough of rambling for today. Fight this stupid idea please. ALL Malaysian citizens should be voting!
In a democracy, every adult citizen deserves the right to vote. This is a basic democratic right. No exceptions... no compromises. No discrimination regardless of gender, social status, wealth, political affiliation, sexual preference, religious or non religious... no exceptions whatsoever.
Once you start having exceptions, you put a nail in the heart of democracy. Every concession, every compromise, every exception is a piercing strike at the beating heart of democracy and freedom( I don't think democracy is the ultimate form of government, but that is for another write up). This idea that those that do not pay income tax don't deserve to vote is flawed.
If this is so, what about those that do not pay income tax, living in Malaysia? Is voting only reserved for the rich and the middle class? The poor do not deserve to vote? Are they voiceless in the democratic process? I am pretty sure expatriates overseas aren't exactly drowning in poverty(I certainly hope not). But to have one rule for them and another in Malaysia is not feasible, and legally problematic. There is something called the constitution.
This just screams nationalistic jingoism from the government; and let's face it, the election commission is a government organisation. For years, the incumbent government has been trying to force the perception that Malaysian citizens in foreign countries are unpatriotic. Yes... most weren't happy with the way this nation was being run when they left for greener pastures(which in a lot of scenarios turned out to not be so green after all; Malaysians overseas had had to work almost doubly hard to start from scratch).
Just like us, they want only the best for Malaysia, and they want Malaysia to improve, not to stagnate in the cesspool of third world nations; moving backwards into a banana republic. I wont get into the dangers of nationalism in this write up(that's a completely different post), but to put it bluntly, it is a dangerous precept for all manner of atrocities and violations. Nationalism(or nationalistic fervour, however you put it) is the ugly doppelgänger that preys on the the working class while enriching the rich. Do not be fooled by it, there is nothing good about it.
Loving your country is fine, in moderation. Remember that we are all children of this planet. We have a responsibility to all humans. For the human brotherhood(and sisterhood). Oh well... that is enough of rambling for today. Fight this stupid idea please. ALL Malaysian citizens should be voting!
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