I refer to the Malaysiakini report PM dissolves Parliament .

Malaysians must have been baffled to hear that Parliament was dissolved on March 13 as the premier had denied strong rumors about the dissolution just the day before. But that is politics, I suppose. People cannot expect our public officers to give straight and truthful answers.

Now that Parliament has been dissolved, thus paving the way for the 12th general elections, Malaysians who care about the country’s well-being will have to make hard choices. They must decide whether to retain the incumbent government or increase the number of opposition members in the august house, to restrain our lawmakers from abusing their power for personal gain.

There seems to be a lot of anxiety among the ‘silent majority’ who are fed up with the abuse of government power that has been rampant ever since our present premier took office. People are complaining that it is harder to make a living because of rising inflation. But whether or not this anger will be turned into votes for the opposition is yet to be seen. Malaysians are a forgiving lot and are often forgetful when it comes to abuses of power by those in elected office.

Only in urban areas, where people are more educated and informed, will the opposition parties make headway in the coming polls. In the rural areas, where simpleton kampung folks are ignorant about abuses of power, votes will still go to the incumbents.

These elections take place when our country is at a crossroads. If we do not teach the corrupt incumbents that they cannot ‘have their cake and eat it too,’ our younger generations will suffer most.

But t would take a miracle for the opposition parties to succeed in dislodging the present government because government machineries and funds are at the disposal of the caretaker government. A free and transparent general election is still a dream. In every general election, money and ‘phantom’ voters tip the scales in favour of the incumbents.

Yes sir, resign yourself to the fact that - come hell or high water - the old and tainted politicians will still be our political masters. When - and if - they retire, their offspring or in-laws will continue their legacies of plundering state assets for personal gain. After all, it runs in the family.