The general election is coming, and Pakatan Rakyat states will naturally undergo deeper scrutiny of their achievements. These achievements are not necessarily policy reforms, but must be tangible and something that can be felt the people.

One way of gauging this is by looking at the state of cleanliness around us. As a resident of Selangor, I would like to point out that while the state may have achieved some form of reforms, it has dismally failed to improve the cleanliness of our towns and cities.

Take a casual walk in any townships within Subang Jaya, and you will know what I mean. New malls and condominiums have mushroomed over the last few years, but so are piles of garbage everywhere, clogged drains and littered roads and even highways.

The centre of the Subang Jaya town at SS15 is a picture of shame. Drains are clogged and pavements are in a state of neglect and left broken for years. Shops and businesses do whatever they like with their refuse, and eateries operate beside these drains, clogged with plastics.

All this seem to have been ignored for years. This so-called 'middle-class' semi-city boasts of hotels and exclusive malls, but outside, there are no litter bins, and rubbish is strewn all over. Here is a constituency which gave a big number of votes to Pakatan yet nothing tangible has changed since the new Adun and local councillors came in. Residential neighboorhoods look abandoned, and there is no proper maintenance of the pavements.

Petaling Jaya is another city which has become a rubbish paradise. Dirty eateries are order of the day, and one is blind if one claims that the situation has improved since 2008.

What are the authorities doing?

We see new signs put up saying "Zon Bersih", but a visit to any of the restaurants within this very zone will show exactly opposite. Is Pakatan Rakyat-installed authorities also fond of slogans and cosmetics like their predecessors?

And should one even want to mention Klang, the "royal" town whose reputation is nowhere near any of the royal towns we know of in other countries?

Pakatan Aduns are all good and responsive, but it seems they have ignored this basic criteria when gauging whether an administration is efficient and successful. If at least the major towns are taken care of, even their political foes will not complain.

Ask Singaporeans - besides being silenced by constant harassment on their freedom, most dissenting Singaporeans have been actually silenced by the regime's efficiency and emphasis on healthy living and cleanliness. Is that too much to learn from?