Now is the time for the battle-fatigued protagonists to be magnanimous in victory and gracious in defeat, bearing in mind that the real winner must be the people of Malaysia.

TODAY, we go to the polls. In a comment I wrote back in March 6, 2008, on the eve of the 12th general election, and before this column came into being, I started off with this introduction.

“My eldest son turns 21 in August. He had been looking forward to casting his first two votes for the Kelana Jaya parliamentary and Seri Setia state seats had Parliament served out its full term. But since election has been called early, he will have to sit this one out.”

Well, he will be voting for the first time today, alongside the 2.4 million new voters, who together make up 21.69% of the 13.29 million registered voters for this general election.

As I looked through what I wrote five years ago, I felt a sense of déjà vu. I had the feeling that although much has changed, much remains the same.

But one thing is clear: Everyone is hungry to vote. Indifference is no longer an option.

There is, of course, a heightened sense of political awareness. In fact, the atmosphere is highly charged both in terms of the sheer numbers physically present at political ceramah, to the millions more who engage one another in all forms of social media.

The phone is no longer just a phone, but is a conduit for all sorts of information, most of which border on the ridiculous. Yet, this has become a season when anyone who tries to be logical, or seeks to separate the wheat from the chaff, is not much welcomed.

But it is good to remind ourselves that citizenship goes beyond casting our vote once every five years. What do we do in between? How active is our citizenship beyond being politically partisan in season?

Active citizenry means we ensure that the institutions that help democracy along – the executive, the legislature, the judiciary, an impartial civil service, a respected police force, among others – are not compromised.

At the local level, we must be concerned about local government, the environment, our neighbours, the schools our children go to, the plight of our marginalised citizens, and many other issues besides.

How will you hold the candidates whom you vote for today to account? Well, these days, almost everyone has a handphone number, a website, a Twitter and Facebook account, as well as an e-mail address.

If we want to ensure that our parliamentary system works well, we need to know how our MP, once elected, performs in the august House. What did he say in his maiden address? What will be his stand on the many bills that will come his way when Parliament is in session?

And the same goes to our state assemblymen. Stay connected with them, and hold them accountable.

This is our 13th general election, and it is good that our country is slowly but surely evolving into a fully mature democracy, where there are real choices for us to make.

I will cast my vote early, knowing that every vote counts and I have played a vital role in the process.

And I will say a prayer of thanks for those of my fellow citizens who, each day, without any fanfare, go about seeing people for who they truly are, not divided by our political allegiance, race, religion or social structure, but united by our love for our country and for one another.

Life is a journey, and while the politicians may see today as the ultimate destination of who will reign in Putrajaya, the real journey for all of us does not begin, nor end, on just one day.

I hope that after the election results are announced, the strident political voices will join the ordinary people to make this country an even better place. I hope they will be magnanimous in victory and gracious in defeat, bearing in mind that the real winner must be the people of Malaysia.

> Soo Ewe Jin (ewejin@thestar.com.my) believes that building takes a lot of hard work, but those who build bridges that unite rather than walls that divide will never labour in vain.

For more election stories, please visit The Star’s GE13 site

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