How many people will come out to vote this Saturday, and how many will stay home? Former deputy prime minister Tun Musa Hitam, a dyed-in-the-wool Barisan Nasional supporter, tells ANIZA DAMIS that whichever way voters choose to go, if they come out in full force that day, it is democracy that wins

Q: Is voting important? A: Absolutely. The very basic ingredient of democracy is voting, and how the secrecy of that right has proven the direction and form of any government that claims to be democratic.

To make democracy work, those who believe in it, want it, and want to make it work, must come out and vote.

It is an expression of their wishes.

Q: And yet, nearly five million Malaysians who are eligible to register as voters are not registered.

A: This is a very serious situation.

I am very disappointed to hear about this.

Mind you, in this country, voting is voluntary. The government has two alternatives: either make registration compulsory, or keep the current voluntary system.

The five million is too big a figure for us to ignore.

I hope next time around, there would be definite plans, whether it is a legal or procedural approach, in getting people to vote.

In this election, I’mconcer ned that even those who have registered to vote seem doubtful whether they would go out to vote.

I’m coming across friends and relatives who are saying, “I’m not going out to vote this time”.

Q: Why? A: There are a variety of reasons.

Some are not happy with the government, yet don’t feel they should come out and vote against the government.

Some say they are simply fed up with politics. They are saying, “We ’ll get nothing out of it.” And some are saying, “Well, whether we vote or not, they (Barisan Nasional) are going to win for sure.” These are the three reasons I have been hearing.

This is a bad situation.

Whichever way you look at it, it would actually threaten the very fabric of the democratic process that has been working in our countr y.

Every time we’ve had elections in the past, the turnout has been very high, about 75 per cent. Now, if voters do not go out, that turnout would be lower.

This will certainly affect the position of all parties taking part, be they opposition or Barisan Nasional.

Q: Meaning? A: Well, we don’t know. Many parties would lose their support.

A reduction in the number of voters would mean a reduction in the majority, and in some respects, would make one side win or lose.

Voting is very important. Every vote counts.

We take it for granted when we say, “Go out and vote, every vote counts.”We have been saying it for years, but now, it has been said less and less. I think this must be highlighted within the coming week. Come out! Every vote counts! This must be stressed.

When I was a party “junior”, when we went around during the campaign period, our objective was simple: Persuade people. “Come out, vote. Your vote counts!” and we taught them how to vote.

Now, I’m afraid political parties have presumed that we don’t need to teach people how to vote.

I get the feeling that maybe we are taking too much for granted.

“They are going to come out to vote, and they are going to vote for us anyway. Therefore, those whom we know are not going to vote for us, we don’t bother too much about them.” This environment is not good.

The strategy should be simply, “Come out to vote” — they must come out to vote, they must come out in full numbers, otherwise, they might regret it.

This democratic process that we have slowly been building up would be affected.

We could go backwards if we don’t take the opportunity of this right to vote that we all have, and for those who have not registered, would have.

Q: What do you mean by backwards? A: The elections would not be reflective of the true feelings of the people.

What do the five million people who did not register feel? What would they want? At the moment, I suspect things are so good that they think, “Why should I vote? The economy is moving, I’ve got a job, I’m a professional. I have my car, I can play tennis and golf, my children are in school.

It’s not necessary for me to vote. ” We are very blasé about all these things.

If you look at history —at Nazi Germany, at the rise of communism in many countries in the last century — why did it happen? Bigots and dictators rose when there was apathy among those who love democrac y.

It was just indifference that made the anti-democratic forces succeed.

People don’t understand this.

They say, “It’s impossible in Malaysia. ” But I think these five million people who haven’t registered, and those who are refusing to come out and vote, might make it possible.

Decreasing interest and increasing indifference are the biggest threats to our democratic process.

I think the biggest plus point about this government is the greater tolerance.

I have said this before, but in this particular election, I need to say that we should thank God that it is because of the openness, the increasing tolerance —the wider spread of the spirit as well as letter of reality of democracy — that the opposition can say all the nasty things that they are saying.

Q: So, why do they say they feel less free? A: They, of course, will not say, “We agree with Musa, we are more free”.

That ’s a plus for the ruling party, and, of course, they are not campaigning for the ruling par ty.

I think the population needs to be reminded of the relative difference.

I am a critic of the government.

Ever so often, I say the things that need to be said. But, this time, I feel it is timely for me to remind people (of these freedoms).

At the same time, I don’t expect the opposition to say, “Musa Hitam says we are free.

And yes, actually we are”.

Freedom is something that is very difficult to quantify.

In our country, in relative terms, there are many minuses.

But we need to remind ourselves to compare, look at the plusses, look at how we have to go forward.

Make democracy work by going out to vote.

Then only would we be able to know of your support or nonsupport of the government.

As far as I am concerned, I would like to see greater support for the government, because I feel, as a political party, we deserve the support of the rakyat.

Q: Why do you think that many people didn’t register? A: I’ve got this theory about the middle-class voter. They tend to be more indifferent. Only when there are issues, like in 1999, do they come out in droves and vote.

And they slapped us (BN) many times in many ways, to express their displeasure.

The low income group, if they don’t go out to vote, I’m told it’s because they are unhappy about bread-and-butter issues.

I have said this from my political childhood — if there is ever any “-ism” that you want to talk about that really needs attention, it is not capitalism, socialism, communism, or even nationalism. It is stomach-ism — the issue of the stomach.

The low income group may feel whatever they do, whichever way they vote, they are still going to suffer from these price increases.

So, they say it is no use to come out and vote.

I think among the issues being raised in this election, it is the bread-and-butter issue that is impor tant.

This issue is genuinely hitting their stomachs. When before they could buy so much with RM1, now they may not be able to buy that much.

So, this requires very careful attention by the government.

From my observation, the government has been tackling the issue.

And it has tried to convince the electorate that it is not so much of the government’s doing, but rather the globalised world we are living in.

Q: Is it? A: Inflation is a reality every country faces. Go to China, Singapore, Indonesia. If you look at the overall picture, we perform the best. Our rise is the least.

This is the actual situation.

The ordinary man or woman might say, “We don’t understand, and we don’t care. Our stomach is hurting. What are you going to do about it?” They want answers to that.

So, I hope during this campaigning period, the BN candidates, from the highest to the lowest ranks, will be sensitive to this.

I’m made to understand that lots of things are being done. But I think what is lacking is articulation.

According to the feedback that I have got in these last few months, the BN government has taken so many measures, but articulating it, putting it across, convincing the people, that needs a lot of work.

This is the only thing I can think of that is a problem (with BN) during the elections.

Q: Some people have said they are not bothering to vote because they don’t believe the system works.

A: That is a matter of opinion; a matter of argument. Whichever way it is, then, vote! Q: Those who feel it is a false democracy say if they go out to vote, they would be endorsing what they believe is false.

A: This is good fodder for opposition parties. But it is also a loss to them.

All parties should be participating in persuading people to vote.

There are ever so many faults you can find in government. But I think the strength of this government is its ability to admit mistakes.

And it has demonstrated how much trouble it is taking, and how far it is going, to take corrective action.

There will always be people who will not be happy with the government.

That is their privilege.

But still, whatever it is, vote .

If you say it is a false democracy and that, by virtue of arguing it is a false democracy you don’t go out to vote, you don’t realise that that false democracy you accuse it of being will become non-democratic.

It will become anti-democratic.

That ’s how our society would end up if you use that argument. It would worsen the situation, rather than improve it.

If you say you don’t want this government, but you don’t vote, that means you are the one who is making the government to be false in its democracy. You are helping strengthen that situation.

If you want to make things better, come out to vote. By not coming out to vote, you are going to make it worse.

Every vote counts. If everybody said, “My vote does not count”, it will end up with no vote, or reduced number of votes.

Whatever you are saying about the weakness of the system now can only be corrected if you apply your voting rights, and preserve it and nurture it and value it.

You have to say, “I have to go out to vote. Why? Because I will decide the direction of the government”.

Q: You are telling people it’s important to vote. At the same time, as a BN man, you want BN to win.

Don’t you worry that if so many people are educated on the importance of voting, then, politically speaking, the “wrong” people will come out to vote? A: Being a democrat, you must risk it. And I am a democrat.

After I’ve persuaded you to come out and you come out but you don’t vote for a BN candidate, well, that’s your right, and I respect it. That’s what democracy’s all about.

Q: If people do come out and vote, do you think it would be an advantage or disadvantage to the BN government? A: It would be to the advantage of the government, in the sense that we have done so much to create Malaysia into what it is now.

The vibrancy of economic development that has filtered down to such an extent that the upliftment of the standard of living, from almost rampant poverty into the almost wiping out of poverty in the country is possible.

I was giving a speech at UiTM just two days ago. Not a political function, but when I got up, I was very emotional.

I said, “My goodness me. How I remember the days in the 60s when I went to villages to persuade parents to send their girls to school, instead of marrying them off.

“Now, how I look at you, mostly girls, who are now undergraduates, and how many of you have graduated as a result of that! “I say this with pride, based on what I did in those days, thanks to Tun Abdul Razak’s wish and directive that we must take care of this issue of rural poverty.

“You are the ones who have entered the middle class. You have up-graded yourself through government policies, and through your realisation of the need to improve yourself.” These people are the beneficiaries of our system. Now, the danger that one should always remember is that one should not take them for granted and instruct them, “You must be thankful.” No. I wouldn’t use arguments like that to win support. You just tell them, “These are the facts: this is what it was, this is what it is. Now look at this. Do you want to go further or faster? Or not?” So, we are back to where we started —the necessity of voting.

These young people will need to come out to express themselves.

Not because “they must be thankful” to the government.

No.

You are the result of what the government did. We educated you.

You must value that you are there because of the nurturing of the democratic process, and it was by the demand of the people that we fulfilled that you are there.

Now, come back and express yourself .

I am confident that this created middle class would see the logic of it. We’ll see the results of it.

They might not be happy with the way things are going, but in an election like this, that middle class is educated and mature enough to say, “All things must be taken into account across the board, not my own personal emotional anger over one fact that my daughter or my father was a victim of this or that. ” We ’re talking about national issues that would affect the national direction in which we are going. It has to be an across the board thing.

There are ever so many issues.

The most dangerous and most negative are emotional sentiment issues.

More so if it’s religious or racial.

We have gone through that before.

I think the opposition would have a very difficult act to follow, if the government is very successful.

Now, the opposition is forced to tone down on racial and emotional issues, because they cannot assume that an educated electorate will buy that.

But, the temptation of going for those sort of issues would grow, as polling day comes nearer.

Only bankrupt politicians would go for emotional issues, especially in Malaysia, where racial sentiments exist.

To me, the fact that bread-andbutter issues are the main issues of the elections is a good thing, rather than racial issues.

Q: The opposition believes if it could get more people out to vote, it could deprive BN of a comfortable majority.

A: The argument goes both ways, and has been put forward by both sides.

The fact that you ask people to come out to vote does not mean they are going to vote on your side.

I don’t think the opposition is right. The voters might come out, but they might not vote for the opposition. Both sides face this dilemma.

I am looking from the point of view of the democratic process. In the democratic process, you have to assert your voting rights.

Q: Turnouts at ceramah don’t necessarily translate to votes.

What ’s going on in their minds? A: By virtue of my age (74), and having gone through it, I know best what ’s going on.

In the old days, in Kelantan, we had the battle of the figures. Oh, thousands and thousands of people came to listen to Perikatan (Alliance) speeches. And we lost.

(laughs) At the same time, Pas also had this experience of having thousands and thousands of people at their ceramahs. And they lost.

To me, that is something I am proud of. That’s maturity. At least the voters are prepared to listen.

In the old days, on polling day, you could be sure that if the voters go to your booth, they are your suppor ters.

If they don’t, then they are opposition.

So, you would look at the opposition stall and say “Kesian (pity). Empty. Sure they’re not going to win.” Now, sometimes lots of those who go to the opposition stalls or government party stalls don’t reflect which side they are going to vote for.

This reflects the maturity of the voters. Again, it is a plus thing for the government. It is this government that has created this education and maturity in the democratic process.

And that’s why I feel that in Malaysia, we are going the right way. There can never be absolute democracy, whatever that means to begin with.

We must be able to recognise and identify the weaknesses and rectify them.

Under the current leadership, they seem to be recognising it, admitting it, and trying to rectify it.

That ’s what all the exposure stories (in courts, royal commission sittings) — are indications of admission of weaknesses.

I think it is fantastic to be able to admit mistakes and weaknesses, it is the biggest courage and strength, and this is something that we have to realise.

Q: So, this Saturday, when you go out to vote, what does it mean to you to be a voter? A: It means that I am a firm believer in democracy and I want to make it work.

It means that I’m going to choose who I think should represent me in this area where I live.

It means that I am going to help the party in power to win. Because this small party which started as two — Umno and MCA back in 1952 —and then in 1954 became Umno, MCA and MIC, and then became the Alliance, and then spread its wings to include 14 parties.

It has a fantastic capacity to absorb everybody.

It means that this party and the concept itself deserves my vote.

Of course, there are continuous arguments within the alliance. But the fact that everybody comes into it and wants to be in it, I think it deserves support.

And I am going to do that.

I know the ballot is secret, but I am going to tell you an open secret: I am going to vote Barisan Nasional.