LETTER | Better to spoil the ballot than to not vote

LETTER | I am writing in response to the letter entitled “Ranting from an angry housewife” published on Malaysiakini.

I can understand the writer's reluctance to show up at the polling stations on Aug 12. Many are disillusioned or distrust the two major blocs vying for their votes. Some would rather sleep in or spend their weekend spending time with the family, or shopping.

Why wouldn't they? To be completely honest, many are already suffering from political fatigue. To urban non-Malay voters like myself, the unity government has been a letdown.

The prime minister's treatment of a young student during a recent town hall, questioning the quota system has only exacerbated our discontent.

But then again, neither are we prepared to vote for Perikatan Nasional, which we find to be too extremist for our taste.

For people like me where it's a straight fight between Pakatan Harapan and PN, with no option for a "third force" like Muda or PSM, boycotting the polls is an easy way out.

I think that's an unwise move. A better alternative is to show up and cast a spoiled vote. There are many ways to do it.

One can scribble one's opinion on the ballot paper, mark "X" on more than one candidate or not vote for anyone at all. As long as the ballot paper does not contain only one "X" in the box for a candidate, it will be considered a spoiled vote.

More effective way to protest

How is casting a spoiled vote better than a boycott? Internationally, casting a spoiled vote is recognised as a form of protest. In the recent Cambodian general election, almost half a million of the 8.2 million votes cast were spoiled.

This is the Cambodians' protest over the sham election where opposition parties were denied a level playing field.

Another advantage of spoiled votes over electoral boycotts is that the impact of the former is quantifiable. During the ballot-counting process, spoiled votes are counted and reported separately from valid votes. This allows election officials to acknowledge the number of dissatisfied voters.

Further, spoiled votes show that voters are disillusioned enough to show up and protest, not just stay away from the ballot box and go about their daily lives as usual. Protest in the form of spoiled votes is much more resounding than an electoral boycott.

Lastly, by casting a spoiled vote as opposed to a boycott, one wouldn't have to put up with snide remarks from family and friends about why one has abdicated from civic responsibility. Voting is a sacred right and many in other parts of the world do not have this opportunity.

So, by showing up, one has already fulfilled one's responsibility. Who one votes for, or whether one has cast a spoiled vote, is entirely up to the voter and there is no need to let others in on that.

Lastly, I want to refute the allegations that casting a spoiled vote only helps to amplify the voice of those who cast valid votes. In the 2022 general election, I voted for Harapan. I voted to kick out Umno, I voted for reform and to rid the country of malaise like cronyism and nepotism.

Post-GE15, I still have the Umno president as my deputy prime minister, corruption and nepotism haven't really gone away, nor has institutionalised racism.

This is why we need to amplify our protest by casting spoiled votes. This is the only way for our leaders to sit up and listen to the rakyat and push through the reforms they promised.

In the past, we've had a movement called #UndiRosak. It is time to revive this to send a clear resounding message to our leaders that they need to buck up.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.