Selling Dreams

My new favourite commercial in the radio is CIMB's savings promotion campaign. Basically, if you (the innocent but green-eyed listeners out there) save RM500 in CIMB, you might stand a chance to win the Mercedes S-class. The commercial is quite hilarious, which goes something like this :
Son : Dad, I'm gonna buy the new Mercedes s-class (son sounds like a bum,
dude-style)
Dad : Uh huh (sound of papers rustling, imagine dad reading the papers)
Son : So, can you give me some cash
Dad : You must be dreaming that I wanna give you RM700,000 to buy it!
Son : Actually, I only need RM500
Dad : Huh! Then I must be dreaming then, ha! (Typical Malaysian snorts)

And, so the commercial goes blah blah blah into its campaign. I'm not an agent for CIMB or anything, its just that the commercial made me think of another joke and the whole connection to this train of thought. The joke goes something like this: YB dies and goes to the gates of heaven, but couldn't decide whether he wanted to go to heaven or hell. Then, he was sent down to hell for a day to decide, where he met all his friends and they were having such a good time, drinking, laughing, playing golf, etc. Next day, he spent it in heaven, which was good, but serene and he felt bored. So, he requested to God to go to hell, and God complies and sent him there. In hell, he was shocked to find out that the condition was nothing like yesterday, all his friends were miserable and garbage all around. So he asked them what happened. Now, here comes the best part.....wait for the punchline....."Yesterday we campaigned YB, just like you did when you were alive, today you voted!!!"

Ha! That, my friends, is the true scenario of the election. Both stories above are about selling dreams. Repeat, selling. It doesn't necessarily comes true. I know that I'm very unlucky in these contests, I never win, maybe I'm jinxed, me thinks. But somehow, some people out there still thinks they have a chance at winning. Maybe they'll get lucky, who knows. Its the same with election, you never know the character that you voted for would be able to deliver his promises. During campaign, they tried to potray the best character, the best manifesto, the best supporters, heck, even the best campaign poster! But once they have won, you won't even feel their presence.

To be honest, I don't even know who are contending in my area. I just know that their presence will be felt at the balloting area. I wanna do the safe and right thing.......but sometimes I feel that, THEY have become too complacent and secured and smug in this position that THEY are in. Maybe, I should do otherwise, and perhaps that'll ruffle their feathers. But my vote is just one vote. Maybe it doesn't change anything. I'm not even a political activist, but working in and for the ruling government inadvertently opened your eyes and ears to information that are privy to the Higher Authorities and sometimes the knowledge makes you sick. You think, maybe THEY should get a wake up call. If the OTHERS win more seats, they would be their check and balance. Maybe that one vote counts to shock THEM from their complacency....then maybe there'll be some changes from the age-old traditions. Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky after all!