A post on X – the platform previously known as Twitter – caught my eye.
The user highlighted that of the 245 assembly seats in last week’s six state elections, nearly 11 per cent, or 26, saw the victor win by less than 1,000 votes.
Slimmest majorities at PRN 2023
245 DUNs were contested.
26 of them (10%) were won with majority < 1000. Insane!
In all these DUNs, the thousands who didn’t vote could have changed the result.
If you can, vote. You never know when your area will go wild. pic.twitter.com/LpUazALAv9
— Thevesh (@Thevesh) August 15, 2023
More intriguingly, the top three slimmest margins were Selangor’s Taman Medan (30 votes) and Gombak Setia (58), and Juasseh (78) in Negeri Sembilan.
So indeed, your votes do count.
For those keen to know more, you can visit the Election Commission’s website. If you have a slow internet connection, you may have to refresh the site a few times to view the results.
Now that the dust has settled, it is time to hold the winners accountable for their actions and promises.
Michelle Ng, who won the Subang Jaya seat by a landslide (with a 51,191-vote majority), posted a video last Saturday after learning that the voter turnout in her area was only 32 per cent.
In it, she asked those who had voted to look at those with clean fingers – those who voted had to dip their fingers in indelible ink that left a stain that lasted for a week or so – and “tegur” (reprimand) them for not doing their duty.
Ng, however, said she used “tegur” as it also means advise, and did not mean to offend anyone.
That was not the first time she courted controversy. A week before the elections, she apologised and took down an election campaign poster portraying the state exco with the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.
Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor also flaunted the rules by “accidentally” displaying his ballot paper to the media after he cast his vote at the Sekolah Kebangsaan Bandar Baru Beris Jaya polling centre in Sik, Kedah,
Sanusi is a polarising figure outside Kedah. It remains to be seen if he will face punishment for revealing his ballot paper.
Muda’s Abe Lim was caught in a controversy when she allegedly gate-crashed a taichi event in Bandar Utama. The organisers had invited DAP politicians Jamaliah Jamaluddin and Yeo Bee Yin. Lim was asked to leave.
The voters must keep a close eye on the winners, and also the losers. Let us see who keeps their promises, and who just tells us things we want to hear.
While the elections are over, the noise from both coalitions and their supporters has not stopped.
During the campaign period, people received numerous WhatsApp messages, but unfortunately, many of them were negative and portrayed their opponents in a bad light.
It continues today. I do not get why supporters spend so much time tearing down politicians from the other side, instead of highlighting the good work of ‘their people’.
They choose to highlight ‘misdeeds’, twisting narratives, cherry-picking points, and use race and religion to defend, or attack each other.
It could be that these supporters get their ideas from the politicians themselves, who also prefer to be on the attack.
But that has always been the case, sadly.
SELANGOR AVIATION SHOW
The Selangor Aviation show returns next month – Sept 7-9 at Skypark Regional Aviation Centre in Selangor.
Register early to get free entrance to the only business and general aviation show in the region.
FREE FERRY RIDES
The newly re-opened Penang ferry service offers free rides from Aug 7-Sept 6 between the island’s Raja Tun Uda Base (PRTU-Swettenham Pier cruise terminal) and Sultan Abdul Halim Base (PSAH) in Butterworth.
COOL MANGO LASSI
Nothing cools you off on a sweltering day like mango lassi. If you are searching for a filling drink to start your morning, try this yoghurt-based recipe.
STILL ALIVE
Heerraa Ravindran, known artistically as Heerraa, is an award-winning singer-songwriter and Voting Member of the esteemed Recording Academy.
The Malaysian lass has won widespread acclaim for her soul-stirring performances and profound songwriting. Her latest single, ‘Note To Self’, has already made waves in the industry, winning the Audience Choice Award at the Short+Sweet Festival in Malaysia.
She is currently in Nashville, Tennessee, for a series of live shows.
While we wait for her latest singles to be on YouTube, here is an older number – ‘Feel Alive’.
Until next week, stay safe.
