I refer to the Malaysiakini report Let's clean up BN and Umno: Dr M .

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is leading the way in this new mood of openness saying things without fear or favour. But how are we to make sense of what he tells us? All his comments about the coming elections are lessons in democracy. ‘We should vote for candidates who can deliver’. ‘We should get rid of those unthinking politicians’. ‘We should weed out the corrupt and incompetent’.

Sycophants who only know how to curry-favour rather than lead the country in any meaningful way should go. Politicians who spent half their speeches paying tribute to certain leaders, lulling them to sleep rather than saying things that matter, should retire or be voted out.

Mahathir also said that some people have power and leadership thrust upon them. They may not be worthy but the situation was such that they inherited the mantle of government without the necessary wherewithal. Such leaders, it is implied, should only serve the people for a limited amount of time for they may do more harm than good.

A few years ago, Mahathir also said that leaders must not overstay their welcome and that they should step down before they are pushed. As such, he does not think that people should be in office for too long. This has to do with them being unable to bring to the table fresh ideas. Hence

they endanger the entire governmental machinery, turning the cabinet into a fossil.

Based upon his advice, we should not only target MPs who are incompetent but also those who have been in office for far too long. One problem being: what constitutes incompetence? Financial mismanagement? A failure to think policies through carefully? Limited intellect? And who will decide in a country with very few institutions that provide check and balance? Is 22 years, for example, too long to be in office or should exceptions be made on a case by case basis?

Whilst it is easy to preach, it is often difficult to put into practice that which is preached. Mahathir himself admitted that he found it difficult to undo the feudal system of appointing component party leaders as ministers regardless of their qualifications or ability. He also found it impossible to alter the dynamics of Umno politics, which is still dependent upon modern-day ‘chieftains’ very much in control of their own constituencies and thus serving their own agendas.

Having helmed the country and then thrusting his legacy upon his successor, Mahathir now wants the Malaysian people to do what he could not achieve. He tells us that only Malaysians can alter the system by voting out the incompetent, the morally suspect and those who have overstayed their welcome.

PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi may, I suspect, not be in total disagreement. Most in his present cabinet were once Mahathir's ministers. Now that the long transition period is over, the PM might finally be coming into his own. If the Malaysian people fail to heed Mahathir's advice, Abdullah may have to stay beyond two terms to make sure the BN machinery is improved.

In the meantime, the opposition should think up creative ways of getting their message across. Malaysians want a responsible government, one that makes sure roads are well-maintained, drains are clean and crime is under control.

A website dedicated to providing day-to-day information about the conditions of roads might be a good idea. In the age of the Internet, do as Mahathir says - expose weaknesses to improve the governmental delivery system.

In a country where the people have no right to decide who represents their interests at the district and municipal level, we may have to create our own surveillance system to channel information to the government.

The politicians are now beginning to march toward the general elections. They might want to place civil society issues on the top of their agendas for Malaysian society is clearly failing. People no longer feel any sense of collective responsibility, the trash is always someone else's problem.

Whilst dispensing his advice on high, Mahathir may have forgotten that a knife often cuts both ways. An apathetic Malaysia, as he once said, is easy to govern. But it is also a country difficult to rouse.