The winds of election blows, for now it is still sepoi sepoi bahasa. Some friends say lepas Raya. That’d be October, unlikely. Others say December. Tengkujuh laa…think of those people in the East Coast. Yet others go on to say Jan, Feb, or March 2008. I think it is the latter two months, possibly after Chinese New Year.

However, sooner or later, you (yes you, you and you with the spectacles, I see you) and I will have to exercise our democratic right to vote. I hope you have taken care of that little technicality called voter registration. If you haven’t, you probably shouldn’t be reading about us bloggers bitching about the sorry state of affairs in the soon-to-be 50 year-old Malaysia.

This will be the fourth General Election in which I will vote. I registered in my hometown of J, in some remote corner of Negri Sembilan. I still vote there. It’s an excuse to balik kampung and meet my people. I’m sentimental about things like this. For three past elections, I was working on polling day but I woke up early and drove for two and a half hours just to cast my vote. I hope to do the same this coming election.

It seems that Jeff Ooi, who announced his entry into the Democratic Action Party (DAP), and tech-whiz Tony Pua who is already a member, may be running in the next elections. I will not talk too much about how these two will fare in the DAP which has demonstrated dynastic politics very much like Umno, or if these earnest men will get frustrated in the long run.

If they do get elected, hey! That will be two bloggers in Parliament. Is that cool or is that cool? : )

I applaud their enthusiasm, guts and the publicly-declared desire for a more equitable Malaysia. If DAP goes on this way, it may pave the way for more (hopefully idealistic) young men and women to come into politics. There is increasing indication that Malaysians are not bodoh and that they demand more. But whether the present electorate can change things, well, I’m not optimistic. Read Mat Salo’s take on why i’m not.

But then, some wise guy said, the journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step. We all have to start somewhere. Jeff has a personal manifesto. Go check it out, if you haven’t already.

At the rate the Netizens are making news in Malaysia, maybe there should be a Net constituency, as was said by Aisehman and some commenter in his blog.

Whatever said and done, it is time to choose. So think hard people. For Malaysia to be prosperous and competitive, we need to weed out graft (starting with the people who practice them), follow HRH Raja Nazrin’s words on rejecting people with shady past from taking public office.

Weed out mediocrity. Of course wherever there is a large civil service, there is bound to be mediocrity (unless you pay top dollar like Singapore). However, to weed out mediocrity, graft, abuse of power and money politics, well you can start with changing your elected representatives.

Yeah, this means kicking out the close-one-eye politicians (wake up, people of Jasin), those whose mouths always bocor, resulting in verbal diarhoea that usually raises a stink. (I’m calling out to the people of Kinabatangan here).

What about those who talk for talk’s sake, bullying other MPs. Lemme see, Seri Gading, Jerai…that Padang Rengas kapakman for the ruling party who loves to say things like bloody racist!bodoh bodoh bodoh bodoh bodoh.

While you are at it, maybe you should get rid of the likes of Taiping who sensationalises a lotta stuff to stay relevant and of course, long long overdue, Sungai Siput. Though I must say, in his case, he has done some work, despite the public’s fondness in making him a laughingstock. Time to go, and rescue that son of yours Uncle!