Register as a voter now!

Earlier today, I just realised something. All of us (with a few exceptions) are now 21 years old.

Do you know what does this mean? It means in the eyes of the laws, we are allowed to participate in the upcoming national election! It is a big step for all of us I must say because with one vote, combined with others in aggregate, can determine the direction of this country.

As of now, I am not a registered voter yet but I would definitely go to the counter and get myself registered because the upcoming election will be my first time participating in the nation’s democracy and I do not want to miss it.

Hence, I am urging to those who have not registered to go to the nearest voting registration counter and register. I have seen their counters in shopping malls. So whenever you guys are at the malls, do drop by at the counter and fill in the form.

This actually reminds me of Kesatuan Pelajar Kolej Melayu (KPKM). Most of us were exposed to elections and democracy when we were in Koleq through KPKM and I remember how our batch dominated the students’ council in our final year.

(Taken from MCKK Magazine)

Sorry for the bad quality. I could not find a better quality photo of the KPKM. Anyway, 19 of us were in the students' union. Being led by the President, Rashad Tajuddin alongside with his Deputy Presidents, Edzadzul and Iss; Vice President, Abe; Secretaries, Tapah & Jae; Treasurers, Daos & Yuhaikal, the union had successfully managed several events as you can see above.

I am actually quite impressed that we had amazing executive departments like Public Relations (Mokri & Ammar), Student Welfare (Amirul Hayat & Ihsan), Diplomatic (Zaneq & Aiman Haziq), Academic (Zulikhwan & Nor Faizul), Staging & Performance (Javad & Kubb) and Sports (Cro & Padil). I am sure they had done so many things for us back then. =D

What I am trying to say here, voting for the national general election is just like voting for the Malay College Students’ Union. You elect the person who can be our representative at the national and state front.

Some of the things to consider when choosing which candidate to represent us in the national and state parliaments. As most of us are still studying while some are working, we should look into the candidate’s proposals on issues related to students' study loans, rising cost of living; and raising wage rates for fresh graduates. That is on a micro-level.

If we were to look at a macro-level, we should pose questions say, whether or not the country is heading to bankruptcy considering the nation's public debt is approaching its limit (if I am not mistaken, the national public debt to GDP ratio is 53.2% and the public debt limit is 55% - Source), whether or not the tax rates would be raised to finance the deficits, whether or not we would be the unfortunate ones to carry the burden of paying the tax in the next few years, whether or not we would be able to have a decent quality of life with better education quality, more efficient public transport, more affordable cost of living, more attractive job opportunities and many more.

The above may be subjective and dependent of individuals but it is with this kind of information, we will be able to make an informed decision on which one of the candidates can be our representative.

All in all, keep in mind of 2 things! Firstly, register as a voter at any voter registration centres and secondly, stay abreast of the national news and developments. When the election comes by, exercise your democratic right! Cheers!

Of Nostalgia, PMR & 'Ilahi'

I am not entirely sure whether most of you have seen this but I think it is worth-watching. I did not exactly recall being among the audience in this event but I am guessing there were some of our batchmates in the orchestra team to accompany the vocals with melodious tunes. For those who feel a bit melancholic, here is a remedy to cure your nostalgia.

Of all 8 videos in the Youtube profile, I chose this one because today is the day when PMR 2012 results were announced. It is very timely for us to reflect ourselves on how much we have progressed since high school and to remind of those who have helped us along the way. The singer in this video is definitely one of those whom we should keep in mind. She is our Form 3 teacher, Ms Rohana. She taught us Mathematics. If I recall correctly, she was also a class teacher of 3 Bijaksana. A very dedicated educator who is very persistent in teaching and ensuring us to get the methods right.

On a side note, based on Facebook posts and Twitter, Koleq's PMR batch this year managed to emerge as the first in Perak with 98 students getting straight As in all 9 subjects out of 117. That is quite impressive! Good job Class of 2014! I actually forgot our overall results. Does anyone remember? Congratulations to your brothers or sisters who did very well in their PMR. To those who didn't, don't despair as PMR is not that important actually. Plus, I've been informed that the government is scrapping it out. So, don't worry that much.

Also, for those who didn't know, Amir Shah's father Mohd Shah passed away due to lung infections on Sunday. Al-Fatihah - semoga rohnya diberkati dengan rahmat Allah dan ditempatkan bersama Muslimin and Mukminin yang lain. Semoga Amir dan keluarganya tabah dan cekal menghadapi liku-liku kehidupan ini. Amin. Buat ingatan bersama-sama, sesungguhnya yang hidup itu pasti akan mati.

(Taken from Izham Ismail's Twitter)

This is merely an update post because I actually don't like to see this blog being abandoned. So I will try to make time to provide updates on anything so that all of you can read during your leisure time. In the meantime, best of luck to those who are preparing for exams and assignments. Hope to see you guys around. Cheers!

Note to the author, next time please bring your camera whenever there is batch gathering (for instance batch futsal etc) so that you can write something in this blog.