Election Watch (13)

This is a letter from Dev Anand Pillai in Malaysikini: Overcome Fear, Vote For Change. Read his full letter here: http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/78628

This reminds me of a book entitled "Fear Is The Key" by Alistair MacLean back when I was still a schoolkid. Dev Pillai stresses its this same kind fear that has paralysed us ordinary Malaysians from taking active part in our politics. A friend described our General Elections as "free" but "not fair". Take a look all around us. Watch TV3 PrimeTime news especially. Read V.K. Chin's comments in The Star. Look at the headlines of the B.M. dailies. Scrutinise the adverts and promos that are peppering your TV screens during commercial breaks. There is ONE recurring theme. Fear. "Fear indeed, IS the key" it seems.

But, there's another side to the story. The bible tells us that:

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear" - 1 John 4:18

while Martin Luther King cried out:

"Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed."

So I'm thinking: 'If I have true love for my country, then I have to get down from the stands in the stadium, start getting my hands dirty, and play the game, remembering there is NO fear except fear itself. For "what does it take to gain the whole world but lose one's soul?" - Matthew 16:26.'

"Freedom cannot be given in half measures; Either you have it ALL or NONE at all"