There has been great debate recently over which party should rule Malaysia. We all know which parties we are talking about. The fight for power seems to be endless.

In Malaysiakini , Anwar Ibrahim, seems to be given huge coverage. He is indeed promising a lot of things. Yes, he has openly said he will be the prime minister of Malaysia and that the government of his leadership has the formula to rule the country with integrity, honesty and sharing of power.

Doesn't that sound like the motto of Barisan Nasional years ago?

The reason I am writing this is, why do we - the rakyat - yet again want to rely on the powers-that-be to show us the way to a better life? I believe there are many of us who weren’t born into rich families and yet we’ve not only survived but are capable of living a decent life, regardless of what the government has thrown at us.

Anwar - in his debate on TV recently - said if he can form the government, he will reduce the petrol price by 50 sen. Is reducing the petrol price all it takes to rule a country?

If it is, I would think the CEO of Petronas should be the one ruling the country. After all, 40% of the country’s revenue comes from Petronas.

Anwar also said that families in the RM2,000 income bracket are suffering and that it is the rakyat's money that is being spent unwisely. In the first place, the RM2,000 per month households are not taxable.

So, the government is not using their money in the first place. Secondly, if the petrol price drops, there will be more vehicles on the road so has Anwar also talked about how to solve traffic woes when the petrol price dips?

Has he committed himself to conserve the environment and the rich flora and fauna that our beautiful Malaysia offers? Or are we going to breathe more carbon monoxide after the petrol price dips and all our roads all jammed up?

Has he spoken on how to reduce crime rate? Has he spoken on how to build a Malaysia without racialism?

From what I see so far, in Penang, Lim Guan Eng, is bombarding Gerakan and the federal government for pulling out the state’s big projects under the ninth Malaysia Plan. Why not he come out with ways to attract investments without relying on the federal government?

I would advice him to stop crying foul and get cracking. In Kedah meanwhile, the menteri besar said they have no choice but to use the forests in Kedah for revenue if the federal government does not give them their state’s allocation of federal funds.

To me, this is akin to a rebellious son telling his parents: ‘I don’t need you, I will do whatever I want and as I want but if you don’t give me an allowance, how am I to live so hence you are a bad parent.’

Why the reliance mentality? If you are as good as you say in running the state government, stop asking the federal government for funds. Be independent. Work out a formula, one without any need for reliance on the federal government.

If you can do that, you can bet the people will stand by you in the next general election.

The real two leaders in Pakatan Rakyat that I see working hard, as of now, are the menteri besar of Selangor and Kelantan. I’ve been to Kelantan and Trengganu when both states were under the rule of PAS.

At that time, the Barisan Nasional government was trying to scare the rakyat on what would happen if PAS took over. I wanted to see for myself rather than to trust hearsay.

I can attest that when I was there, I felt really safe. I could roam the streets in the middle of the night and yet no danger was felt. I could still find pork and Chinese food to eat.

Kelantan was under PAS for so many years without any funding from the federal government and yet they still live on in peace and harmony.

As for Selangor’s Khalid Ibrahim, since taking over, he has never asked the federal government for any funds. Instead, he looks at the status quo of Selangor and finds ways of rebuilding what is believed to be the most corrupted state in Malaysia.

His promise of free water (which mostly benefitted poor families in the RM2,000 income category) is commendable and thumbs up for that. Keep up the good work.

What is my point here? To Pakatan leaders, do not have the reliance mentality. If Pakatan truly believes in their motto of coming together to form the federal government, then show what you are made of and make the change.

Do not cry like babies when the going gets tough. Be tough and get things going.

As for the next prime minister, well, why must it be Anwar? Why not someone else? I leave these questions as food for thought for your readers.