YOUR VOTE. YOUR RIGHT. YOUR RESPONSIBILITY.

The General Election 14 (GE14) is not too far away. It will be held on Wednesday, 9 May 2018. As you know, our country is now facing its greatest political, economical and social crisis. The many issues troubling our nation includes the ever-rising cost of living, goods and service tax (GST) which was introduced in 2015, 1MDB (1Malaysia Development Berhad) which involves billions of Ringgit, the weakening currency and corruption in all sectors.

Many of us hope this GE14 will be the turning point of our nation. We have one last chance to really form a decent government. If you choose civic-minded leaders, surely our nation will progress for the better, and the time has come to vote for a brighter future. Every registered voter has the right and responsibility to choose their leader, to shape the future of our nation. We need to make our voices heard and take a stand for righteousness.

You may ask, does my vote make a difference? Surely it does! Every citizen has a moral duty to vote. Our vote will pave the path for the future of our children. As Christians, we have the sacred duty and responsibility to vote in our convictions and to vote for leaders who promote justice and peace, to lead our nation toward righteousness and for the common good. Every citizen should stand and follow the command to fulfil our civic duty, “Pay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and God what belongs to God,” (Matt 22: 21).

Throughout the novena and feast of St Joseph the Worker starting Sunday, 22 April to Tuesday, 1 May 2018, we will pray for the upcoming GE14. We are commanded to pray for our leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-4). We will pray and offer Masses for our voters, for their discernment to choose a leader that will help build a better nation. We also pray for a fair and clean election process. We pray that the new leaders will be able to correct past mistakes, so that our nation will live peacefully and prosperously.

On the evening before election, Tuesday, 8 May 2018, we will have Mass at 7.30pm, followed by Holy Hour at 8.00pm. My dear parishioners, I invite you to come together for the evening prayer and Mass to pray for a smooth election without any uprisings, riots or cheating. Your vote is so precious and when you cast your ballot into the ballot box, please say a simple prayer and make sure your vote is counted.

Just for your info, I will leave to Penang to cast my vote. I have not changed my voting location for 20 years, as for some reason I prefer to vote there.

After casting our votes, let’s continue our good work by being productive, giving our service to people and nation. Keep praying, serving, witnessing, helping your neighbours and loving one another. Let’s make sure that we spend time between now and polling date, praying and promoting ways to make our society more harmonious and united. Pray for our beloved Malaysia.