Post-Election Thoughts

I was wondering if I had anything to say about the recent General Elections, given that I generally shy away from politics (ironically it was politics that gave me a head start into the world of public speaking).

Amidst all the cheers of victory on the side of the Opposition (and the vast majority of its backing citizens), I felt the change a good thing. I'm not saying things in Malaysia will turn out for the better; stability with a good number of freedoms revoked is probably better than a lot of great ideas but no solid ground for implementation.

In a state like Kelantan (and perhaps to some extent Kedah) where PAS has been in power for so long, it is nothing new. But the entire political landscapes of Perak, Selangor and Penang, for instance, have changed dramatically. For the first time ever, I think of the friends I encountered today and realise that most of them are from Opposition-controlled states.

But I said earlier that change is probably a good thing. Yesterday morning before church, I found myself thinking this over as I browsed through the statistics on the Election Commission's official website. Change is perhaps a good thing for people bored of the same old same old, but I think more so for the Christian, because it is only change in this world that can remind us of the unchanging things.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, said the writer of Hebrews.

Chuck Colson opened Steven Curtis Chapman's 'Heaven in the Real World' with this narration: "The hope that each of us has is not in who governs us, or what laws are passed, or what great things we do as a nation. Our hope is in the power of God working through the hearts of people, and that's where our hope is in this country, and that's where our hope is in life."

Come what may, God's work continues. It has survived the destruction of Jerusalem, the Crusades, the Inquisition, the Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution, the Communist Revolution, two World Wars, to name a few.

And because of this we are free to vote, and free to rejoice and celebrate the victorious politicians. Not so much because we have faith in their capabilities, but because our faith is rooted in the One to whom all rulers are subject, and so we know that no matter who rules over us, we are safe and have a future in Him.

Praise Him.