Malaysians Share Their Hot Takes On Wild GE15 Happenings
From jokes to commiserations to losing coalitions, many Malaysians had a lot to say and share this GE15.
By Jasmine Chea — 20 Nov 2022, 07:03 PM — Updated almost 2 years ago
The 15th General Election (GE15) was arguably the most anticipated and memorable event of 2022 and it had the Internet abuzz, with Malaysians weighing in on what they thought of it
SAYS has gathered the most viral thoughts and opinions of some Malaysians who got people talking and various GE15 topics trending on Twitter.
Every Malaysian has the right to express their opinion and their thoughts. Therefore, we urge everyone to be respectful and to read with an open mind.
1. The disappointing loss of Nurul Izzah and Khairy Jamaluddin
In a shocking turn of events, Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate Nurul Izzah Anwar lost her seat in Permatang Pauh, Penang, to PAS candidate Ustaz Muhammad Fawwaz. The two-time holder of the seat was dethroned by a narrow margin of 5,272 votes.
Many were also devastated when Barisan Nasional's (BN) Sungai Buloh candidate, Khairy Jamaluddin failed to secure his member of parliament (MP) status. The BN candidate lost to Pakatan Harapan's (PH) Datuk R Ramanan by a mere 2,693 votes.
The disappointment at the candidates' losses was overwhelming to say the least.
2. Perikatan Nasional's (PN) surprising rise in the ranks, coming up neck and neck against PH
While many Malaysians were expecting BN and PH to be fighting neck and neck against one another to reach 112 seats, PN surprised many by being the contender that gave PH a run for its seats.
While BN only managed to gain 30 seats, PN was breathing down PH's neck during the vote tally, with the coalition managing to gain 73 seats whereas PH won 82 seats.
3. Going through thick and thin together despite having different political views
Malaysian citizens Ima and her husband voted for different parties in both GE14 and GE15, but that doesn't stop them from supporting one another.
In her tweet which she gained a lot of support for, the vet said that it is their individual right to vote for who they want. The loving couple even proudly took a photo of themselves with their preferred party's flags together.
4. The unprecedent amount of voters who came out to cast their ballots and change the future of Malaysia
Whether you believe your vote mattered or not, Malaysia saw a 73% voter turnout this GE15. That's a whopping 3.42 million increase in voters since GE14.
This means that about 15.4 million Malaysians practised their democratic duty and made their voices heard as to who they wanted to lead Malaysia.
Many netizens sounded off their agreement that the voter turnout truly did turn the tides of the election results.
5. The party doesn't start without Abang Jo
With the GE15 vote tallying coming to an end, Malaysia is now faced with a hung parliament, it seems that the big three coalitions are gunning for Sarawak Premier Abang Johari Openg, colloquially referred to as Abang Jo, to have Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) with them as GPS won 22 seats in total.
And this has many Malaysians worried as to who Abang Jo will merge GPS with. Will it be BN? PH? Or PN?
Well, Abang Jo is currently considering merging GPS with PN, having met with PN chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang already.
But most Malaysians have managed to make the situation more light-hearted with some memes.
6. Three words. No public holiday.
In their manifestos, all three main coalitions announced that they would be giving Malaysia a public holiday on Monday, 21 November, if they won the general election.
Well, it now seems that there won't be a public holiday on Monday after all, as Istana Negara has called for party leaders to submit their candidates for prime minister by 2pm tomorrow, 21 November.
Since the federal government has yet to be formed, there's no one to make the call now. So, sorry Malaysians. Guess we won't be having that public holiday that we were promised.
Have some memes to ease your disappointment.
