It struck me reading Malaysiakini reports over these past few years just how cynical Malaysians have become nowadays, and increasingly one-sided in their views.

‘BN has screwed the country so now - everything and anything they do is insincere and doomed to failure’; or

‘Pakatan Rakyat can do no wrong - the bad elements within them...came from BN because... BN has messed up the country so now - everything and ....’.

You get the picture.

The sad thing is, if we allow ourselves to keep going in this self-indulgent fashion, it is quite likely we will all fall into a stupor where nothing is ever good enough. Looking at the Kelantan 'compassionate money' case for instance, seems that whatever Umno state liaison chief Mustapa Mohamed says is immediately shot down as 'more BN trickery'.

I say people, take things in context la ... have you been to Kelantan lately? Yes, many rural parts are indeed rural, and the city (is it a city or town?) of Kota Baru while developed is no Kuala Lumpur or Penang - but then, should it be?

Life in Kelantan seems pretty decent. It's nice to enjoy a really hearty Thai dinner for eight persons with lovely steamed fish for less than RM100! There must be some truth to what Mustapa says - imagine, if the federal government did nothing at all for Kelantan all these years, I doubt it could be what it is today.

The cries of foul play over the oil-money seems rooted in the sense of 'wanting more'. It's good to want more - to develop and all that - but how does that old saying go about 'a bird in hand, is better than two in the bush' or something along those lines? ‘ Gomen kasi wang ehsan - guna dulu and make the best of it’! If you're a God-fearing type, you may believe that more will come for that which has been virtuously employed.

In Penang, Lim Guan Eng seems to have done quite well by introducing open tenders - kudos to him for that. But he is human too - and his PR (pun intended) can be lacking at times - people say he is quite arrogant.

But the choir who mostly congregate at Malaysiakini often turn a blind eye to Pakatan Rakyat's shortcomings - often turning to seek solace in the 'fact' that those Pakatan bad apples are all 'ex-BN' anyway so 'it's not Pakatan's fault'.

Leading a country is obviously no easy feat. And the citizens have a right to want the best for themselves. But blinding oneself to align exclusively with your chosen 'party line', whichever side you may be on, will turn very bitter and unlikely bring us out of the woods - as people just keep harping on every iota of 'badness' shown by the other. 'Blame-storming' it would seem.

Once in a while, try to look for the good that people bring, and don't pre-judge unnecessarily. Even if it may be a BN or Pakatn fella (assuming you sit on the opposite side).

If this letter sees the light of day on this well-visited site, I'm sure it'll get a good bashing from those who have been 'sickened to death by BN, and anyone who even suggests there may be some good being done by them.