By Janice Fredah Ti

Every vote counts. That is so true and I, like many others, have absolutely no quarrel with that.

However, I feel there has been much misunderstanding on the value of a vote.

In the conventional sense, when one goes to a polling station to cast a vote, your vote becomes validated and it becomes valuable because you made a choice to vote for a political party or leader to show your support and approval that they will bring about your chosen style of governance.

It also reinforces the fact that you have rightfully claimed your constitutional rights and carried out your responsibility as a citizen.

Now, what about those who deliberately choose to abstain from voting or deliberately spoil a vote?

I am writing this to address those, particularly Pakatan Harapan supporters, who have condescendingly announced that those who abstain or cast a spoilt vote have effectively lost their rights to complain about the government or the country in the future. Really?

I wish to point out the following.

Firstly, there are many citizens who do not care about any national issues or will just shrug off any issue most of us may deem important.

This group of citizens has never registered to vote, never cared and go about living their lives without a care of any injustice or wrongdoing by any party or government, as long as their own lives are reasonably comfortable.

Secondly, there is a group of citizens who are completely disillusioned by what’s on the table for them to vote for and therefore have made a decision to abstain from voting or cast a spoilt vote.

This unhappiness is particularly directed at PH because PH was their hope of bringing about much-needed change and reform, but they no longer represent that hope.

The act of potentially abstaining or casting a spoilt vote is a form of protest (protest vote).

It is a manner of making their voices heard, particularly those they are protesting against, in this case, PH. It is a conscious decision. It is a choice no lesser in value than a conventional vote.

Most of all, it is also a form of exercising their democratic rights … by protesting!

Despite all that has been said, some people wish to vote in something, rather than just vote out something.

People have every right to stand by their belief that a vote is tied to their principles and sense of worth. And if a protest vote is required to represent that sense of worth and principle, so a protest vote it will be.

In other words, if PH is not the type of government or leader that some people can tie their sense of worth or principle to, it will be no go for this group of people.

No one in their right mind expects perfection, but it is reasonable to have some form of expectation.

Besides, I have never met any person who boycotts or abstains, who tries to discourage PH supporters from casting a vote for PH, have you? So, let the war not begin.

In no way are protesters “giving up without a fight” or “tak menjalankan tanggungjawab” because, whether you like it or not, they are sending out a message to PH to buck up.

This means they care; it means they want PH to be better and more responsible than what they are currently projecting. And a gentle reminder here … they have every right to do so.

No one loses any rights by exercising their rights, get it?

To PH supporters who are insisting that people have lost their right to complain if they abstain or spoil their votes, do you claim the monopoly of reason and think your opinions are infallible?

Do you shout “Democracy!” while vilifying anyone who refuses to take your path?

After all, most of you talk about voting the lesser evil. Voting the lesser evil is potentially helping the lesser evil become bigger.

If you feel you wish to be a part of that, please go ahead, but not everyone wishes to take that gamble and later be left to deal with the so-called lesser evil, whether they become bigger or not.

A lesser evil is still an evil. It is an insult to be left with nothing but evils to pick from. We Malaysians deserve better.

Please stop taking the moral high ground and condemn those who want nothing to do with voting for PH.

They need to prove themselves that they deserve a vote. It is really not too much to ask of political parties and leaders.

Giving them a protest vote right now may just wake them up sooner rather than later.

PH needs to earn their votes and not expect votes by default just because they know many people can no longer stand BN.

Can you now tell the difference between the first and second group of people? The first group never cares while the second group cares but does not wish to vote for PH; all the more, they do not wish to vote for BN.

A special message to those who insist that boycotters and abstainers have lost their rights: I think you better worry more about fence-sitters who are now contemplating to vote for BN, for whatever reasons best known to themselves.

The sooner you realise that, the better. You may just earn more votes for PH by losing your arrogant and condescending way of telling others they have lost their rights, with no legal basis whatsoever.

Didn’t you say every vote counts? Your vote is of the same value as a protest vote. One citizen, one voice.

Janice Fredah Ti is an FMT reader.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.