The 2008 general elections are just around the corner, and the Barisan Nasional, led by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, is enjoying the thrill of keeping all other political parties in suspense about the highly-anticipated date.

Many may feel that Abdullah is in a dilemma because of a few obvious factors. Here are a few of them:

1. The fact that former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim will soon be qualified to contest.
   
   
2. The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections’ (Bersih) efforts to help Malaysians realise the dirty role the Election Commission.
   
   
3. The Lingam tape scandal that has tarred the Malaysian judiciary.
   
   
4. The emergence of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) and the power of Indian voters to swing the elections in favor of opposition parties.
   
   
5. Reports of religious bigotry in schools that have hurt families concerned, including students and parents and;
   
   
6. Speculation that corruption has reached a record high.

It is a fallacy to insinuate that opposition parties will not be able to form a government because of their differences. Depending on the willingness to give and take, anything can be created.

But if the opposition parties win, how are they going to clean up the mess left by the BN-led government? It will take untold years and will those who support the opposition have the patience to see if the new government can meet expectations?

If the BN wins (of course, by a narrow margin), then Parliament will become the battlefield and new developments will have to take the beating. All in all, the people will be at the losing end.

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad did not have any option but to favour Abdullah to be his successor over Najib Tun Razak. The simple fact is that there were no others who deserved even the consideration.

Since Mahathir handpicked Abdullah to be his successor, it is his duty to tell Malaysians how best Abdullah should be booted out of office. It should weigh on Tun’s conscience that he made the wrong choice.

In the coming elections, there will be cheating at the people's expense. Tun, you have to help the people you once led and not waste the support they once gave to you. Now is not the time to talk about Umno, the MCA, the MIC or the opposition parties. It is time to talk about the fate and future of Malaysia.

The present PM has a vision. His vision is to enjoy luxury and manipulate whatever he can to suit his fancies. The wasting away of the country's wealth is not an issue because he has no idea what is going on with the economy. He only listens to what he wants to hear from his ‘advisors.’ He doesn’t listen to what people are actually telling him.

In order to keep their positions, Abdullah’s ‘advisors’ have had to learn the music he likes, and now they play it all too well. More and more Malaysians are beginning to see how the stooges of Umno – that is, the MCA, the MIC and Gerakan – work. Such leaders have high praises for the BN-led government just because they want to keep their posts.

The prime minister who could not keep his word is leading the BN component parties. And what is expected from them is nothing exemplary, just to hoodwink the people who trust them. Every Malaysian has the prerogative to exercise his or her individual right to choose their government. What I have written is just food for thought.