So Us Is This

And so we have arrived.

Here we stand at the pinnacle of efforts, the penultimate challenge that awaits all us patriots.

Election Day is today.

As I write this, I've just returned from what counts as my fourth ceramah this campaign period, them being the ceramahs in Brickfields (Makkal Sahti!), Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kampung Pasir Baru and tonight's down in my hood, Lucky Garden Bangsar.

I've heard candidates and representatives of all the opposition parties, PAS, keADILan and the DAP, and the message is loud and clear; f**k off, Barisan Nasional! There were times when the speakers were exploding with fury and vehemence that an expletive seemed poised and rearing. Shit, if that was me I'd have to be on a soap diet til the elections are over.

People are overcoming they're differences. Only the myopic still believe the lies fed to us by the mass media about the opposition parties; PAS is ultra-fundamental, DAP is ultra-Chinese, and keADILan is ultra-irrelevant. If anyone has been to an opposition ceramah, I challenge them to continue to be duped by the BN IV drop. This country has gone 50 years into its independence, from one decadent year to the next while all we did was sip teh tarik and blame postal votes.

Not this time, not again for I fear if it doesn't happen this year, the people will never be roused to awakening again. Today, we have the one and only opportunity to effect the change that we want, not that of our kleptocratic leaders, into the Malaysia we've envisioned and dreamed. All this work the blogs have done, all the scrutiny of the watchdogs, all the drama of the rallies will amount to nothing if the support is not translated into votes. Our yells at the Bersih rally, our screams of "Reformasi" will merely ring empty if we do not act upon our sentiments. As Nurul Izzah put it, "I want a better Malaysia for my daughter."

I can't vote. All I can do is show my support, volunteer where necessary, say a prayer or two, or write something I hope others might read. But I urge, and very strongly, to all those who CAN vote to exercise your democratic rights, but to also go a step further and vote opposition. It doesn't matter who's running in your constituency, be it DAP or PAS, if they can form a coalition, can't we? Please don't leave your lives in the hands of a PM who can't stay awake, an education minister who brandishes the keris, a judiciary-for-sale and a non-protection police force. As dramatic as it sounds, your future in this country is dependent on your vote.

So vote Opposition, God damnit!