vox populi small thumbnail Of course, Pak Lah has to resign. This is the decent thing to do regardless of whether Dr M wants him to or not, says a reader.

Ahmad Kamal: Of course, Pak Lah has to resign. This is the decent thing to do regardless of whether Dr M wants him to or not. It would be such a bitter lesson if BN/Umno was trounced only to get Abdullah to resign - at the cost of the party and the ruling coalition.

Resign and be cast into oblivion, Abdullah - that is the lot of a pretty arrogant and ignorant former prime minister. Umno has to redeem itself with your resignation.

What a relief for Malaysia on March 8. There is a God after all. Let’s see what the ‘New Dawn’ brings for us. In the next 100 days - things have to move - the IPCMC and the formation of the judicial commission being the top two.

Limfly: It is a fine thing for Dr Mahathir to now say that he made the wrong choice in Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to succeed him as prime minister of Malaysia. It was Mahathir who, in his desire to hold on to power, removed all the capable deputy prime ministers during his 22 years as prime minister. If what he thinks of Abdullah is right, then it has simply come back to haunt him and BN.

Secondly, Mahathir cannot simply point the accusing finger at his successor for BN's poor showing in the 2008 general elections. Corruption and injustice, two big issues that made the people turn against the BN, were brought to the fore with the Lingam tape scandal. While the case was only brought to light during Abdullah's time, the deed was, however, done during Mahathir's time. Mahathir must take total responsibility for this and realise that while pointing the accusing finger at Abdullah three fingers are pointing back at himself.

For all the weaknesses we may see in Abdullah, one thing is clear - we do have greater freedom of expression vis-a-vis Mahathir's time. We can certainly do with more, and I would like to believe that what we have seen in 2008 general elections is an indication of better things to come.

A Zain: I totally agree with Dr Mahathir’s suggestion that Abdullah Ahmad Badawi step down as the prime minister of Malaysia and let Najib Razak pick up the pieces in his own way.

Logically it is the only honourable thing to do after such an all-time dismal performance by the BN. Mahathir’s view that BN has become too arrogant is true. The BN representatives have become self-centred and extremely corrupted – forgetting that the people are the masters.

It is a good lesson for all BN as well as DAP, PKR and PAS, and points to the fact that the representatives of the people are elected to represent and serve the people. It is true that there are dissatisfaction amongst all the races and those things should be addressed point blank by the newly-elected reps.

For BN, it is back to the examination room for the post-mortem. One thing is for sure, KJ is a factor and those other ‘old tyres’ that should have been discarded. Just do the honourable and go, Pak Lah. The damage has been done.

Chchng: The PM should not step down. The golden opportunity has come for him to act without fear or favour now that the electorate has helped him get rid of the deadwood who had overstayed their time in the cabinet and as leaders.

It is time for our PM to make drastic changes such as setting a limit for the terms of office for Umno leaders, ministers and also for being PM.

Those who run foul of the law should pay the price; no more ‘You step down, I let you go free’ style of cover-up. If it is a big can of worms so be it! This is the quality of a true Malaysian leader. This is the change signal coming from the rakyat of the 12th election. Start cleaning up the mess, Mr Clean PM.

On Hindraf: Make ISA detainee S'gor deputy MB

Jeevindra Kumar: A few hours after the voters dealt a massive blow to race-based politics, we have an appeal to return to the practise of choosing leaders based on ethnicity.

Let the parties choose the best amongst them, based on criteria that are not related to race, religion or skin colour.

Let this victory be one for all Malaysians, and let the leaders we have chosen safeguard the interests of all Malaysians equally. Let’s not be hypocrites.

A Non-racist: I am of the view that whoever is to be appointed as CM or MB, his or her race is not important. The one who is accorded the responsibility should be picked on his/her capability and credibility. He/she must be fair to all races and fully accountable for whatever actions that he/she undertakes.

The suggestion of having an Indian to be appointed as MB or deputy MB may defeat the purpose of 'safe-guarding the interest of the Indian' if he/she is not capable enough to carry out his/her responsibilities. If that is true, then such position is only for symbolic purposes.

We must change our mentality which has been rooted in our minds since young by the previous government.

On Penang CM: Guan Eng to be sworn in on Tuesday

Very Impressed: It is indeed a very heart warming gesture of Lim Guan Eng to defer the swearing-in ceremony to Tuesday so that Koh Tsu Koon will be able to attend the ceremony.

It is a good start for you, Guan Eng.

On Programmer finds 'twin' postal voters

Bilqis Hijjas: This is stunning. I have three questions:

Which is the 'original' military ID number? The one with the zero, or the one without the zero?

If it's the one without the zero, then from this partial analysis it looks like the vote riggers are trying to stack the election in particular constituencies, specifically Pekan and Besut. Does anyone else think this has contributed to Najib winning Besut with a very comfortable margin?

If ‘Almost half of them (postal voters) have 'twin' voters registered in another parliamentary constituency’, then how difficult would it be to find just one person who can testify that they made two postal votes? Or is it all being done behind the scenes, with anonymous technicians inserting extra votes where they are needed?

Concerned Citizen: After reading your report on postal vote discrepancies, I went through the list of duplicates supplied and found 103 cases of voters registered in Pekan and another location but having the same identification number. Pray tell me, who is the representative for Pekan?

Unch: All postal votes should be declared invalid immediately and all personnel should re-vote again with the indelible ink that was wasted.

Teo Chuen Tick: It's a pity this was discovered so late. Well, maybe the information will be of use if any of the candidates decide to contest this election results. Another black mark for the Election Commission.

On Mahathir: Samy stifled Indian voices

Sheen: During the Lingam tape inquiry, Dr Mahathir proved that he has selective memory. Therefore, he can only remember that which brings glory to him. Mahathir's memory may not have permitted him to recall resolutions passed during the MIC general meetings with regards to the betterment of the Indian community that were forwarded to his attention during his tenure as prime minister.

Mahathir is also part of the team responsible for the Indians’ failure in this country. It's not true to say Samy did not speak up for the Indians. It is just that Indian's issues were not important to Mahathir at the time.