I agree with the observation of Pensioner in his letter , 'Pak Lah, same game, different players'. Despite the media hype and propaganda of the ruling parties, nothing fundamental in Malaysian politics will change after October.

This is not unexpected and it is exactly for this reason that Mahathir chooses Pak Lah to be his successor to ensure that corrupt, cronyist and nepotistic system of governance and political economy are preserved for the ruling elites and their minions.

To put it bluntly, it is precisely because of his feeble-mindedness, blind loyalty, the lack of innovative spirit and independent thinking that Pak Lah is appointed to succeed Mahathir. It is a classical game in the feudal courts, not modern, progressive, open and democratic politics.

First, unless and until the opposition is strong enough, the Internal Security Act (ISA), Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA), Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) and Akujanji will be preserved to ensure that the playing field is not level;

Second, unless and until other BN component parties like MCA, MIC, Gerakan, SUPP, PPP, etc are willing to change their attitudes and characters from being mere minions to dignified partners of Umno, Umno under Pak Lah will continue to lord over them in an essentially lord-serf relationship to be packaged and marketed as 'BN Unity'.

Third, civil servants and bureaucracy will continue to be made scapegoats and whipping boys of policy failures, corruption, nepotism and cronyism conducted by BN elites and their business minions;

Fourth, unless and until broken by public education, xenophobia and other siege mentality like 'Malaysians vs Europeans' and 'Muslims vs non-Muslims', will continue to be used as propaganda to divide and rule, and to frighten voters to support Umno and BN;

Fifth, unless and until the neo-feudal culture of Umno elites and their non-Malay business minions are replaced by a modern and progressive mindset that stresses the values of meritocracy, personal honour and dignity, critical and independent thinking and productivity, the sickening behaviours of the elites as observed by Pensioner will continue to corrupt the polity and the hearts and minds of the feeble-minded Malaysians.

Sadly, there are still hypocritical intellectuals who, for personal greed for fame and glamour, still try to legitimise this kind of regime by attending and 'philosophising' in those seminars and conferences organised to prop up the images of the ruling elites. Fortunately, the eyes and minds of the masses and counter-elites are clearer and tougher than the Machiavellians assume.