Dear fellow Malaysians,

After almost 56 years of uninterrupted, one-coalition rule by the Alliance and its successor, BN, we have reached a critical juncture in the history of Malaysia.

Despite misgivings about the handling of the forthcoming 2013 general election by the Election Commission, this election provides ordinary Malaysian citizens with the best opportunity to stake a decisive claim to the future governance of their nation.

For the first time in recent memory we, the rakyat, have the option to vote to either maintain the status quo, or to radically change the government of this nation by handing over the baton to the Pakatan Rakyat coalition.

Your vote will be crucial because at this time the likelihood of which coalition will win is too close to call.

Many of us have already made our minds up as to which political party we shall vote for.

However, there is still a large segment of the voting population that has not. These voters constitute the "fence-sitters", for want of a better term, and it is to them that I am directing this appeal.

I appeal to you to ensure that your vote will be a serious reflection of what you dearly wish for your country and for your children's future.

Please do your due diligence to assess the political parties that are contesting this election.

Specifically, consider the track record of BN as a barometer of its ability, or inability, to properly govern Malaysia.

We Malaysians are now a people that are divided in race and socio-economic class more than ever before.

Racial and religious slurs from bigots such as Ibrahim Ali and Zulkifli Noordin go unchecked.

Corruption has reached dizzying heights, contributing to a massive illicit capital outflow of RM870 billion over the past ten years.

We are faced with a rising national debt equivalent to 53 percent of our gross domestic product in 2012 that is forecasted to approach RM1 trillion by 2020.

Despite decades of pro-bumiputera policies that seem to benefit mainly the cronies of the ruling BN class, some of whom have disproportionately made RM billions, poverty continues unabated, affecting particularly rural Malays, Indians, and the indigenous people.

Illegal drug addiction continues to plague the poor, and crime is prevalent despite rosy official statistics.

Significant scandals, such as the Port Klang Free Zone, National Feedlot Corporation ("Cowgate"), and Scorpene submarine scandals committed by members and relatives of the ruling BN parties are still awaiting resolution.

Pillar institutions such as the judiciary and the legislative have been so severely compromised since former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad's time in office that they can no longer provide the necessary checks and balances that a true democracy demands and expects.

Prosecutory decisions by the inspector-general of police and the attorney-general are now viewed with suspicion and scorn by the general public.

Partisan coverage of political events in the mainstream media, almost wholly owned by the ruling parties, which denigrates the federal opposition and even falsifies news are considered the norm.

Deaths in police custody are hushed up and police brutality goes unpunished.

Justice for the deaths of Altantuya Shaariibuu, Aminurasyid Amzah, Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamed, Kugan Ananthan and Teoh Beng Hock, amongst many others, remains but an elusive hope for their grieving families.

Shenanigans such as manufactured sex videos to smear prominent federal opposition figures, miscarriage of justice such as in the sodomy case against Anwar Ibrahim and in the murder case of Altantuya, and persecution and demonisation of non-governmental organisations such as the coalition for clean and fair elections, Bersih, and the human rights group, Suaram, are rampant.

In fact, the only sex video that has been validated was that exposing an extra-marital affair of Dr Chua Soi Lek who is now president of the Malaysian Chinese Association, a BN coalition partner.

Substantial numbers of phantom voters continue to exist that the pliant Election Commission refuses to clean up, and a citizenship-for-votes scandal in Sabah is now being unearthed.

Voting constituencies have been gerrymandered to provide an unfair advantage to the ruling BN coalition such that, in the last general election, BN won a disproportionate 112 of the 139 smallest seats for a simple majority to form the federal government with just 19 percent of the total voter population.

Last but not least, the hostility shown by the BN coalition towards clean and fair elections as advocated by Bersih is telling, for why would a legitimate government be opposed to this basic tenet of democracy?

In contrast, in a short span of five years, Pakatan has shown itself capable of ruling the states under its control with competency and transparency.

The states of Penang and Selangor have received commendations from the Malaysian auditor-general for their fiscal rectitude by achieving surpluses that put the BN-controlled states to shame.

Please take all of the above into consideration when you make your final decision on which party to vote for, come election day.

I hope that you will vote decisively according to your morals and conscience for the good of the rakyat and for the betterment of your country.

Every vote counts, so please vote wisely as the stakes are high.

The results of this election could decide the fate of our beloved country.