Despite the government's frantic attempt at injecting numerous 'feel-good factor' for the up and coming general election, the recent spate of humiliating expose, is simply too menacing for them to ignore or bear.

Little wonder, the premier has just lost his 'feng shui date' for the GE, which many anticipated to be before the end of the year.

"No election this year" he quipped and is now widely reported. Given his current beleaguered state, his confession is fully understandable.

The deluge of information exposed is so bizarre as to be capable of bringing down any premier, ministers or even a government that has any thread of moral integrity, the like recently witnessed of Japan's Premier Abe.

That said though, to humbly admit error, much less to resign remorsefully, has never been our political culture. Never. For as long as the current regime is in power.

Consider it fortunate, if you were not rebuked by 'what problem, what scandal, what crisis' kind-of-recurring arrogance of the oligarchy, who is blissfully oblivious of courting their political calamity.

Already, there are at least seven coalition forces on various fronts that I could enumerate, ganging up non-governmental organizations (NGOs) of multifarious denominations, with their more-than-willing opposition political parties.

Why? Solely for the reason to fight the many wrong policies and the continuing reckless mismanagement of the ruling elites of the Umno/BN. The regime seems ostensibly unmindful of the disastrous impact of their actions and not infrequently inactions, on to the entire citizenry and the nation.

Lest you were unaware, let cite them.

The hopeful seven

The Coalition for 'Free and Fair Election (Bersih), their calls for electoral reform growing louder.

The Coalition Against Privatisation of Health Services (GMPPK) campaigning against the very secretive Health Care Reform, now anticipated to impact hard against the rakyat.

The spontaneous uprising of the civil society and all, against another Neo-Liberal policy namely the various Bilateral Trade Agreement (Anti-FTAs), which saw the government being vehemently criticised for allowing the nation to be 'recolonialised' by the Rich North viz: the USA.

The coalition (GMI) against the draconian Internal Security Act (ISA), a cause of much grief and harrowing stories of victims and their loved ones, continually denied of an open trial and defense, in a supposedly civilized society.

The coalition campaigning for Freedom of Information and of Press/Media Freedom, as a corner-stone of a vibrant democracy.

The Coalition Against the Rising Hikes in Prices of Essential Goods and Toll Hike, exemplified latest, by the political initiatives, vented by the MTUC and the Cuepacs. Though meager in impact, their actions smacked of frustration, aimed at highlighting the government's losing control of affairs, including the prices of 'controlled items'.

On a serious note, a nationwide coalition is now urgently in order, as to send a very firm and uncompromising position of all tax-payers, who refused to relent and allow the government to plunder with their hard-earned incomes, as amply illustrated in the recent revelation of the Auditor-General's Report, 2006.

Bleeding tax-payers money to the tune of few billions, year in and out, doesn't speak well of a government that was handsomely mandated on the back of an election manifesto that champions integrity and a commitment to fight graft and corrupt practices.

An inspiring march

The long list of corrupt practices, over-spending, poor management of funds, incomplete and outdated data and lack of enforcement and compliance, were too rampant inflicting many ministries and government agencies.

The most preposterous and scandalous was doubtless, Najib's Defence Ministry.

Public fury is the only language they could be made to understand and that has to be the case as well for the IPCMC to be put into effect and the skyrocketing of crime rate mitigated.

The momentous 'March of the Malaysian Bar Council' from the Palace of Justice to the Prime Minister's Department in Putrajaya did just that. It was indeed inspiring much as it is unprecedented. Kudos to the legal fraternity!

This expose of the diabolical intrusion of the judiciary, may well surpass the travesty of justice perpetrated on Tun Salleh Abas in 1988, when justice was enslaved by the executive working in cohort with their counterparts in the judiciary.

The now infamous VK Lingam video clip exposed by former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, places Malaysia's scandal prowess to a world class rogue state.

Part two of the tape has it, that Chief Justice Ahmad Fauriz Sheikh Abdul Halim's name was mentioned, demolishing any attempt at remaining in total denial.

Whatever transpires out of the three-member panel findings of the tape's authenticity is now largely academic.

The fact remains that the nation is totally distressed and still in a state of severe shock.

A bleak future stares emptily in their faces, unless something drastic is done to institute a royal commission to investigate the entire rot that has beset the judiciary.

At this juncture, I have to quickly revisit my last article (Patriotism, Anyone?). Much to our dismay, the current state of despondency of the rakyat and decadency of the government aptly fits into the many quotable quotations I cited.

In the historic march of the Bar Council protesting against the 'alleged rape' of the judiciary in 'Lingam Gate' scandal, the Bar members have amply expressed their patriotism for the nation.

Their dissent is now worthy of accolade and emulation, perchance by other professional groupings, 'as the highest form of patriotism' (Howard Zinn, 1922). Caught in a quagmire like this, we are not given much choice either save to be ready to 'defend the country against the government' (Edward Abbey, 1927-1989)

The buck stops with the PM

Forty-one months in office as the PM, Abdullah could no longer deflect or apportion blame on to others.

He may choose to exude piety and exhibit the persona of a Hadhari Imam leading prayers and what not.

That is his God-given inalienable right and no one is envious of nor contesting that. But the bottom-line is, when it pertains to the issue of government and governance, the bucks must stop at him because he is the Chief Executive Officer of this government.

It doesn't matter to the nation whether he is not capable of reciting the prayers well. But it seriously hurts and awfully damages this nation if he incapable, inept and aloof of the many challenging predicaments of this nation!

Having read the National Integrity Plan (Draft) launched in April 2004, cover-to-cover, not once, but a few times on several specific chapters, namely on role of Judiciary, the Parliament, Auditor-General, competition policy, transparent and fair public procurement etc, it is admittedly well written.

The Integrity Source Book worthy of the writer Jeremy David Pope, a world renowned authority on Governance and Integrity, is also one of the seven founders of Transparency International (TI), a global coalition against corruption.

It would have been a National Integrity Plan worthy of our beloved nation, doubtless after spending millions of tax-payers money on it.

Had Abdullah, like his subordinates revealed by Ambrin Buang's Auditor-General Report, in the many ministries, who, after engaging consultants and paying them millions of tax-payers money, complied with and committed to their recommendations, perchance we would have avoided many a fiasco, now abound.

But lo and behold, the CEO chooses to ignore and sidestep it all!

He is now the single greatest contributor to this government unending debacles. Little wonder again, why Dr Mahathir Mohamad openly fires his vitriolic attack on his successor.

Vote wisely

We now understand why the Suhakam had criticised the many undemocratic high-handedness of the regime, of why the former Malaysia TI's president, Tunku Abdul Aziz now joined the chorus of critique, of why Raja Dr Nazrin reprimanded the need to debunk corrupt leaders, of why former IGP Hanif Omar outrightly criminalized 40 percent of the top brass of the PDRM as corrupt, judging by their living-beyond-their-mean rule, and many more of the rantings of the 'towering figures' of the Malaysian elites.

On the brink of another GE, the premier penchant for announcing multi-billion ringgit mega-projects of the various corridors may well be the carrot he dangles to the voters.

However, it pains us to be rudely reminded similarly of the ghost town of PKFZ costing us RM4.6 billion and many other white elephants.

Like history, business does repeat itself!

Finally, may I remind those voters that have unfailingly returned this government in every past general election.

Perhaps it was right to support the government of the day, when they are right and upright about managing this nation.

Having exemplified the many wrongs of their 'sins of omissions and commissions' and god knows how much more are to be exposed by divine intervention, permit me to quote Voltaire for your kind consideration before you cast your vote this time around.

This could be your greatest contribution to the nation.

"When the government is wrong, it is dangerous to be right"!

I rest my case.

Dr Dzulkifli Ahmad is director, PAS Research Centre.