An email I sent to my Malaysian friends

Dear friends,

I am writing to you as a fellow Malaysian at a very important time in our nation's history. This year, Malaysia celebrates its 50th year of independence. It is probably also the year that Malaysia will hold its 12th general elections. In the past fifty years, Malaysia has been through many noteworthy moments -- Singapore's separation, the May 13th racial riots and the ensuing political fallout, the 1997 financial crisis, the 1998 Commonwealth Games to name a few -- and we will continue to see many more in the future as Asia grows in prominence on the international stage.

As members of a democratic nation, it is our right and our duty to vote. Without strong voter participation in an election, tyranny of the minority -- the outcome in which a small population of the electorate decide the political leadership for the entire population -- is likely to occur. Friends, I realize that this will be the first opportunity to vote at the general elections for many of us. I urge you to register to vote if you have not done so and come election day, exercise your right to vote based on your convictions. The Electoral Commission's website is below as are the places you may register to vote.

This election cycle is pivotal for Malaysia's future. Several key issues will figure on the minds of voters this year, such as:

• Religious freedom in Malaysia: This year, the Federal Court of Malaysia ruled that Lina Joy, a Muslim apostate was not allowed to change her religion on her identity card.
  
• Islamic/Secular State: Our Deputy Prime Minister Dato' Sri Najib Tun Razak was recently quoted by the press as saying that Malaysia is an Islamic State while leaders from the MCA and DAP have challenged that notion, claiming that the Social Contract and the Malaysian Constitution state that Malaysia is a secular state.
• The New Economic Policy: Recent information regarding the effectiveness of the NEP show that the policy has not achieved its intended goals of creating equality for all Malaysians. Income inequality within Malaysia is high and income inequality within Bumiputeras is widest amongst all racial groups. Furthermore, the government is reluctant to provide statistics for the NEP making it harder to assess the NEP's usefulness.
  
• Minimum wage for private sector employees: The Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC) says that an estimated 40 percent of Malaysia's eight million private sector employees earn less than RM700 a month. The MTUC's proposal raises the minimum wage to RM900 a month.

Here are some resources to guide you:

Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (Electoral Commission) website: http://www.spr.gov.my/

Places to register to vote:

The most convenient place to register is at the Post Office.

You may also register at the SPR Headquarters:
Aras 4 & 5, Block C7, Parcel C,
Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan
62690 PUTRAJAYA.

Media links:
The Star (http://thestar.com.my/)
The New Straits Times ( http://www.nst.com.my/)
Malaysia Kini ( http://www.malaysiakini.com/)

Political blogs:
Nathaniel Tan ( http://jelas.info/)
Khoo Kay Peng ( http://khookaypeng.blogspot.com/)
Marina Mahathir (http://rantingsbymm.blogspot.com/)
The Cicak ( http://thecicak.com/)
Jeff Ooi ( http://www.jeffooi.com/)

Political party websites:
Barisan Nasional ( http://www.bn.org.my/cgi-bin/index.asp)
Party KeADILan Rakyat ( http://www.keadilanrakyat.org/)
Democratic Action Party ( http://www.dapmalaysia.org/newenglish/)

If I'm preaching to the choir and you've already registered to vote, my humblest apologies. I also realize that many of you are abroad and are unable to vote but that doesn't exclude you from the election machinery! Tell your family and friends in Malaysia about the importance of voting, research the issues and tell everyone what you think, start a blog! If you've found this e-mail helpful, please forward it to anyone you think may benefit from it. See you on election day!