About the NEM, much will be said of this ‘new’ thing. There are those who condemn it, those who love it, and those who say they love it, but looking at all the published comments and coffee shop talk, although many people are indifferent to it, there are also many people who say that ‘it sounds good but let's see the implementation’.

I would say that anyone who hopes that the NEM will drive change in this country, is in fact placing an unreasonable expectation in their own minds. It is a mind that places hope on the impossible. It is a mind that is clings to whatever little shred of hope that is dangled by people who are themselves clinging on to the huge profits they gain from being in the very position they hold by virtue of the support they get from ... the people who are clinging to the little shreds of hope.

Hope is okay. People need to have hope. It drives ambitions. But hopes resting on the unrealistic are futile. Eventually it is a waste of time, energy and resources. It will be de-motivating and devastating.

However, we can place our hopes elsewhere. There is an alternative. A realistic alternative. Change is already happening in the states run by Pakatan Rakyat. Open tenders are already the norm in Penang. Fiscal responsibility in Penang already enabled it to have a budget surplus, and earned it an award from Transparency International.

In Selangor, the groundbreaking Selcat inquiry has shown how things can be done and ought to be done. It exposes the wastage and corruption in a meaningful and professional way. A Freedom of Information Act has been implemented by the menteri besar to expose plenty of past abuses, and paving the way for people to craft effective solutions.

Fiscal responsibility, again, comes to the fore, with shining examples like the firm stand taken against the excesses in the water industry and the solution obtained with Talam Corp. And of course, fiscal responsibility as practised in Kelantan since 1992 when PAS took over has allowed the state to pay down their debts (as incurred during BN’s days) and maintain a very low debt situation.

Local councils are infused with representatives from NGOs and professionals - something unheard of before. Very effective results are beginning to show. More fiscal responsibility, more accountability, better use of funds, and a less need to raise assessment rates.

In fact, at the rate things are going, some of the local councils can begin to even look at lowering assessment rates going forward. Investments are also pouring into the Pakatan atates. Businesses like to invest in places where there is no corruption, no abuses and where the rules are transparent.

Over time, this will drive productive and meaningful growth and this in turn will drive higher income and a better quality of life.

So why bother to place hope on a three-character slogan called the ‘NEM’ when in reality, there is a far better alternative that is already running and showing results on the ground?