COMMENT Any time now, Malaysians are expecting parliament to be dissolved and general elections to be called. It comes at a time when Malaysians have grown increasingly concerned about the state of their nation after over 55 years of one-party rule.

Rampant corruption and gross abuse of power have wrought untold damage. The institutions of our democracy - parliament, the justice system, the civil service and the media - have been rendered dysfunctional by an overbearing executive.

Predictably, respect for human rights has deteriorated; billions have been lost to corruption and the country continues to slide in terms of key benchmarks on transparency, graft, press freedom and good governance. More than 300,000 Malaysians migrated in 2008/09 alone.

While the government has publicly committed itself to liberalising the public square, its actions have left much to be desired. Political reforms have merely altered the letter of the law while leaving intact the spirit of repression and control behind them. In short, the reforms are nothing more than an exercise in deception.

If nothing changes, Malaysia could well find itself a failing state...