Between Strangers (The Haves) and Friends (The Have-nots)

Yes, the neighbourhood folks have indeed caught up with the election fever. With the Operation Centres of each opposing parties are within viewing distance from each other, both camps would certainly be working very hard towards winning the hearts and minds of the neighbourhood folks and ultimately their precious votes.

For the first time ever, the Barisan Nasional is having their own Operation Centre in the housing estate. Just recently renovated, given a new coat of paint and complete with air-conditioning units, the Operation Centre is surely a class way above the other Operation Centre belonging to the Opposition Party which lies just a few metres away.

However, though the Operation Centre is most comfortable with spacious compound, noticibly missing at the Centre are the local folks. Yes, the Operation Centre is practically completely run by those from outside the housing estate. In fact, the manager of the Operation Centre is a Ketua Umno from the neighbouring housing estate.


Just where are the local folks? Well, you can find them at the other camp, the one with the flags of two parties. No air-condition, no computers, no nice tables and chairs, just a canopy at the lawn of an unoccupied house. But even though you can't find convenience there, what you will find are the all too familiar faces and friends of some of whom you would have known for more than 7 years. Only there you'll be able to talk and laugh like real friends. Only there you'll find people who understand each other. And most importantly, it's only there you'll find a group of people who truly and really believes in a political struggle that couldn't be achieved if the traditional government, the government that has been ruling the land for the past 50 years, continued to be given a huge mandate to keep on ruling.

You will also find true volunteerism there, they don't ask for money or incentives, in fact they themselves throw in their own money to make things happen, like renting the canopy for instance. In short, only there you'll find the true, frank and sincere people.

Sadly, a visit to the fully equipped Operations Room across the road that's surely costing thousands of Ringgit to maintain would give you an impression of visiting an official office like a government office that has no personal touch. In fact it would make you feel sort of alienated and stonic as you are practically with total strangers, strangers whom who have never met before until just yesterday!

So if you were me, where would you go to spend time and to join in the election fun? The BN Camp or the BA Camp? I would think the answer is obvious. Don't you?

Happy Voting All.

Jasni AJ