On 19 November 2022, Malaysia has held its 15th General Election. Many Malaysians from all around the world did their best to make sure that they were back on time and some even made work arrangements prior to this so that they could come back and vote.
Other than that, the government has also set the weekend as a public holiday to encourage Malaysians to exercise their voting rights. Along with airline promotions and understanding bosses, GE15 has become the election with the highest turnout.
Just recently, a Malaysian shared his very own unique GE15 story onto a Facebook page. In his post he said,
“I just got back from Singapore to meet my girlfriend and I came back on the day of when the General Elections were held. I couldn’t make it back on time because in Singapore, we weren’t given time off or a special holiday.”
He then shared that his girlfriend who is residing in Malaysia exercised her right to vote but he didn’t manage to.
“She wasn’t happy when she saw me, in fact she asked me why I came back. Then she told me that she doesn’t want to go out with me for the next few days as people would judge me for not having an ink stain on my finger“, he said.
He then ended the post by saying that his girlfriend thinks he came back at the wrong time.
“Am I really wrong for this? I’m working hard so that we could afford a house for our future”, he added.
Following the post, many netizens have left their comments and here’s what some of them said:
“Yes, you’re wrong in this because other people who are working in Singapore came back to vote as well, why couldn’t you do it? Did you try to fight for it?”
“Everyone had their right to choose whether or not they want to vote. This is what democracy means.”
“Many people don’t have ink-stained fingers. Those who are below 17, runners, government officials that are allowed to vote earlier. There are so many people who don’t have ink-stained fingers, when will you stop judging?”
“If you’re working in Singapore on a long-term basis, you can register as a postal voter the next time. This is your responsibility as a Malaysian, unless you’re planning to buy a house in Singapore and settle there for good.”
While voting is the responsibility of a citizen, we should also be more understanding towards each other as everyone is just trying to make ends meet.
What would you do if you were in his position? Let us know in the comments below.
Also read: M’sian Reveals Hidden Msg in Anwar’s Tweet About Getting a Haircut, Makes Many M’sians’ Day
