I refer to your reports Khir giver thumbs up to 'Zaid and booze' strategy and also Zaid may drown in liquor allegations.

You see, this country has been governed by an Umno-led coalition for the past 52 years and in all these years billions of ringgit have been squandered and stolen from the government coffers.

Corruption is rife and we now have self-righteous Umno politicians going around Hulu Selangor preaching about morality and personal integrity.

It’s totally acceptable for an Umno politician to drunkenly pinch a hostess's bum in a cigar lounge; it’s totally acceptable to steal millions and billions; it’s totally acceptable for an Umno politician to take his wife and kids to Disneyland with taxpayers money; it’s totally acceptable to steal and plunder.

But heaven forbid if someone else had a few unsavoury habits in the past.

The question every voter needs to ask him or herself is which is the greater evil? Stealing billions and cheating your fellow citizens or having a few beers? Don't get me wrong here; I don't condone the consumption of alcohol and I believe it is haram for good reason.

However, everyone has done something which they may live to regret later in life and the important thing is that they come clean about it and never to do it again. What is important is not the past but what is happening now.

In Zaid Ibrahim's case, he was brave enough to admit he had made some mistakes in the past and I admire him for that. It takes a lot of courage to publicly own up to one's past mistakes.

At the same time, we have Umno politicians who never own up to anything negtive they have committed even though their shenanigans are all well-known to the public.

They still see fit to hold public office. Why is that? Is there a different set of standards for Umno and another for the opposition?

In an age of hypocrisy, this sad saga stinks the most. My question to the Malaysian voter is this - ‘Who would you vote for? A bunch of thieves and crooks or a one time drinker who has since given up the habit?

‘Which is the greater evil - plundering an entire nation of billions or consuming alcohol once upon a time?’ You decide.