In the coming elections, the people should judge the incumbents seeking re-election as well as their challengers on promises during the campaign. For, candidates tend to promise the moon but once in office, their words do not match their deeds.

Talk is cheap. We can judge the incumbents' record over the last four years in office, so let us scrutinise it thoroughly to see whether they have lived up to their promises to fight for the peoples' interest in the Parliament as well as the state assembly.

The incumbents who have become instant millionaires or whose private affairs have fed gossip in the press should politely decline to be a candidate. They are a burden to the taxpayer's monies and will only enrich themselves and their cronies by taking up public office.

Politicians of the dinosaur era who play the racial card are yesterday's politicians - they should stay out of the race as they cannot argue their case convincingly on their vision and aspirations to take our country to new heights.

On that score, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi would be wise to retire two-thirds of his cabinet members who only seem to warm their seats and parrot whatever their leaders say.

He should replace them with young technocrats who have vision and can touch base with the voters. The incumbent MPs - be it in government or the opposition - should know that citizens are better educated, well read and open-minded.

If we can find candidates like the former DAP MP Lee Lam Thye, who fought like a gentleman in Parliament for his constituents, then our goal to build a mature and civilised society will be on the right track.