By Bishop Hwa Yung

Have you registered as a voter?

Recently, one of our Annual Conference Presidents carried out a survey in his conference. It was found that only 40% of the members had registered as voters, and only 70% of those registered actually voted. This means that only 28% of all eligible voters in his conference voted at the last election!?

Without going into the details, what is clear is that the Bible teaches that Christians should live as responsible citizens. In saying, ‘Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s’ (Luke 20:25), Jesus tells us that it is right for us to pay our taxes. Paul reminds us that it is proper to obey the nation’s laws and submit to the governing authorities of our day, ‘for there is no authority except that which God has established’ (Rom 13:1). Moreover, we are to pray for everyone, including ‘for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness’ (1 Tim 2:2).

The New Testament teachings on responsible citizenship were given in a totalitarian setting, where the power of the Roman government was absolute. Today we live in a democracy, even though it is sometimes flawed. Within a democracy, the same principle of responsible citizenship would demand that we participate meaningfully in the electoral process. We cannot take the view that politics is dirty and therefore we should stay clear of it completely. This cannot be a responsible Christian response. As the saying goes, ‘Evil triumphs when good men do nothing!’ Unfortunately, this happens far too often.

(This is not the place for me to go into detail arguments for Christian involvement in politics. For those seeking more on this, I would recommend two books: John Stott, Issues Facing Christians Today, 4th ed., [2006], especially pp. 23-94; and Ronald J. Sider, The Scandal of Evangelical Politics [2008].)

What does this mean for us? The first and simplest thing is to VOTE! In a later article I will discuss at length the origins of modern democracy. But here I merely wish to note that the modern idea of democracy, wherein every person has the right to vote, is deeply rooted in the Christian faith, and did not come from somewhere else. The idea that all human beings possess an inalienable dignity, irrespective of class, sex, race, education, belief, and even physical and mental wholeness or disability, is rooted in the biblical idea that all of us bear within us the sacred ‘image of God’ (Gen 1:26f). Because of this, all of us share a fundamental equality before God which transcends all other differences. Thus, more than anyone else from another relig-ious faith, the Christian has an inherent responsibility to defend this principle. When we fail to vote in a modern democracy, we are actually denying a fundamental tenet of our faith. We are failing to live up to what the Bible teaches.

In some countries like Australia and Singapore voting is compulsory, but not ours. Nevertheless, it is a Christian responsibility to vote at every election. To do this one must first be registered as a voter. The SPR (Suruhan Pilihan Raya or Election Commission of Malaysia) has been urging all citizens to register. And since the next General Election is impending, there is a measure of urgency to do so.

How does one register as a voter? If you are doing it on your own, it can be done online. Alternatively, you can register at the State Election Office or a Post Office. You can also get your church to contact the SPR to come on a Sunday to carry out a registration exercise when everyone is around. I would therefore urge all pastors and LCECs of our churches to look into this matter and act on it quickly.

Further, after the registration exercise, it is important that everyone checks that their registration has been properly processed to ensure that they are now on the electoral roll in their respective constituencies. This is important as there have been innumerable cases when those who have registered suddenly find their names missing. This checking process can be easily done online at: http://daftarj.spr.gov.my/daftarj/daftarbi. aspx. The final step in this process is that, having registered, we should make the actual effort to cast our votes on election-day. 

The next question is how do we decide for whom to vote? It would not be proper for me to tell you who to support. The principle of democracy means that each of us must exercise our God-given right to vote thoughtfully and prayerfully, but freely without coercion from anybody. But here are four guidelines. First and foremost, as in all things in life, our decisions must be principled and not based on short-term gain for ourselves. Our vote at every election is a God-given privilege and responsibility, and never to be sold for money, ‘datukships’, or anything that smacks of personal gain! 

Second, we must avoid basing our choice primarily on race or religion, al-though that is what many people do. Unfortunately, good and bad candidates come from all racial or religious backgrounds. I think we should first and foremost ask the question of which candidate has a track record of integrity in personal life, keeping promises made and willingness to work hard for the people.

As an example, I was visiting a certain part of Sarawak earlier this year before the State Elections. When I asked the locals who they would vote for, some commented that even though the present ADUN was their own relative, they would not vote for him because he had done nothing for the people. He had not even helped to improve the road that connected the constituency to the nearest large town! Thus even before the results were out, I already had a good idea of who would win in that place. So choose candidates with integrity and who have the people’s interest at heart.

A third guideline is to ask what the party or coalition (whether BN or PR) stands for. Issues to which we need to pay special attention are corruption, abuse of power, racial chauvinism and religious intolerance. We need to read between the lines and go beyond the slogans. One may shout slogans about unity and mutual respect, but may still be continuing to push agendas which undermine the unity of the nation or promote religiously intolerant policies behind the scenes.

A fourth guideline is to work at building a genuine two-party system in the politics of our nation. One sees this repeatedly in the best examples of democracy in the world. Why is that important? Because the possibility of a genuine choice of two parties for voters keeps the party in power on its toes! Lord Acton, the famous British jurist once said, ‘Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely!’ The possibility that one can lose power in the next election acts as a powerful check against the abuse and corruption of power.

For example, our Prime Minister has in recent months taken some really significant initiatives in an attempt to bring serious reform to the nation. These include introducing the KPI’s for various Ministries and Government Departments, economic reforms, and the latest announcement about doing away with oppressive laws such as the ISA and Printing Presses Act. These are highly laudable and, if genuinely pursued, will benefit the citizens immensely. Let us therefore hope and pray that they would be diligently pursued by the present government. However, it is doubtful that the BN would have been willing to launch into such changes had it not been for the 8 March 2008 General Election! What that election showed was that, for the first time since Merdeka, the ruling coalition is in danger of losing power. Hence reform for them became imperative!

Beyond registering and voting thoughtfully, some Christians may find themselves led further into actual participation in party politics or even becoming candidates in elections. Not all of us are called to this kind of involvement. But we should not be afraid to get involved if we have the gifting and the calling. However, one should first check one’s motives. Is there a genuine desire to see real moral and socio-political transformation in our nation? Are we willing to pay the cost of truly serving the people? Or are we in it because of the hope of personal gain and advancement? To answer this honestly requires careful discernment with the help of a few really trusted friends who know us well and who will be ruthlessly honest with us. And much prayer is needed.

My final comments are for the pastors of our churches. You and I are called to be spiritual shepherds for all, both those in government and those in opposition. Therefore, unlike the laypeople, we should not be directly involved in party politics. The moment we become partisan in party politics, we cut off those on the ‘other side’. Once that happens, we lose our credibility as pastors! This does not mean that we cannot decide who or which party we should support in an election. But that is a private decision, as opposed to coming out publicly in support of one party or another. Personally, I have good Christian friends on both sides, who I deeply respect for their faith, integrity and hard work for the people of our nation. And whenever necessary, I will do what I can to give them pastoral and moral support.

Sometimes, as pastors we are asked to go and pray for a candidate from our church. It gets even more complicated if both candidates from opposing parties come from our own church—as it has happen before! My suggestion is this. If we are to pray for a candidate, make sure that it is not at one of his party campaign functions. That would be taken as publicly supporting that party. Rather, insist that if the candidate wishes to be prayed for, it should be done in church or at his home.

How do we pray for him? Pray that his motives will be pure, and that God will guide and protect him through the election process. Pray that he will truly serve God and the people if elected and that he will be protected from the corruption of power. Assure him that, whether win or lose, he still has our love and our pastoral care. Give him all the prayer support and encouragement he needs. Commend and encourage him for any good work. But never be afraid to do what Nathan did to King David when the latter failed terribly in his duties as a political leader, which is to rebuke him fearlessly (2 Sam 12). Otherwise, we will be failing in our duties as pastors!