Throwback Thursday: #GE14 Historical Memes that Left the Nation in Tears (of Joy)

By Karissa Lund  •  in Features
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Exactly one year ago, political temperature rose to a new feverish high with the nation heading to the #GE14 polls. The country experienced a revolution by overthrowing the dominating ruling party Barisan National, opting to give Pakatan Harapan a chance at correcting the wrongs of the nation, which in term led to Tun Dr Mahathir becoming the world’s oldest elected leader at 93.

A year later, all eyes are still on PH but as netizens reminisce the historical election, some say 9 May wasn’t about either BN or PH. Twitter user @Mhmgrgei proclaimed, “It’s about the Rakyat. We ensured our voices were heard and we did it without a single drop of blood. This isn’t PH’s anniversary, it’s the anniversary of the Rakyat finding our voice.” Here, here…

The Rakyat included the youth who were there to make their voices heard too, some for the very first time. It was revealed that 41% of votes came from the 21-39 age bracket (although there was a huge portion of young voters missing from the poll overall–so don’t get too excited if you’re a millennial/Gen Z). As expected, they came out in droves to vote but not without making a few memes along the way. Those who are unaccustomed to internet culture may view memes as nonsense or simply as a convenient way to kill time.

However, memes present alternative views on the pressing issues of today, shaping popular culture and playing a key role in the ever-evolving dynamics of modern society. During GE14, they became a method for Malaysians to reflexively comment on the suspense through found visual language. Senang cerita, it was Malaysian millennial culture at its best!

Since 9 May this year falls on a Thursday, we thought, why not combine another trend, #ThrowbackThurdays, and reflect on some of the #GE14 memes that made history…

1. PAS didn’t even bother

2. Welp, that was accurate…

3. Go hard or go home!

4. Oof, the blackout situation

5. Don’t worry kids, your turn will come soon

6. Your lying if you didn’t feel exactly this

7. When the Election Committee went back and forth while giving us unclear results

8. Opps! They definitely did

9. To be fair, Avengers: Endgame was a year away..

10. After PH won, this iconic Instagram parody page of Datin Rosmah selling her Birkin bags came out of nowhere

It all goes to show that the Rakyat does have the wits to go through a tough time and come out smelling like Rosma roses. At the end of the day, we can always count on our collective Malaysian voice to shout for justice… Now, let’s build.

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