I am writing this letter as a voter who voted for PAS in the last election. For Amera's information, I am a Chinese. Like Amera, I voted based on principles. But unlike Amera, I do not view those Malays who voted for Umno as being apathetic.

Those who blamed the non-Malays for keeping Umno in power, I beg them to think beyond racial lines. It blinds you from realities, including the reality that the Malay votes play the major role in keeping Umno, and consequently, BN in power.

I hate to delve into this because it makes me think along the racial line the same way Amera did in his/her letter . But the fact is, overall, more than 60 to 70 percent of Malays voted for Umno in the last elections. And if we are to look into earlier elections, the percentage of Malay voters supported Umno was much higher. Even in the last elections, amid the height of reformasi, places like Kelantan and Terengganu saw PAS win only with thin majority in many constituencies.

However, that is not the point.

The point is if one is serious about making Malaysia a better place, one must escape racial traps made pervasive by BN over the years. It is these traps that prevent one from gaining a better understanding of reality.

The Chinese is not politically apathetic. To be politically apathetic means to be indifferent to politics. That is not the case. Just take a look at the number of Chinese-based political parties - one would know they are very involved in Malaysian politics, despite being repeatedly told by the Malays that they are not the 'masters' of this land.

If Amera means the indifference of Chinese voters towards injustices, the same applies to majority of the Malays who voted for BN. But I must stress again this is not the point. I just want to point out that it is simplistic to derive that conclusion based on a vote cast.

Voters make a choice for various reasons. A vote for BN is not an approval of injustices. Neither is it a vote for a job well-done. It is a vote that represents a constellation of perceived personal and societal interests, never mind if distorted. The job of reformist politicians is to address, and correct if needed, the constellation of perceived interests of their constituents. Their job is not to assign blame.

I have great consternation of this practice of assigning blame to minority groups. It does not only distort reality but instigate racial hatred. The non-Malays are vulnerable. Until today, a full investigation into Kampung Medan incident is still pending. Umno knows this well and repeatedly threatens them with racial riots. But the non-Malays are also defiant. They will not be cowed as nearly 40 percent of their votes will always go to the opposition.

If indeed the urge to assign blame is uncontrollable, then assign it to the majority on either side, not the small number of people in the middle, who for reasons beyond their control, had decided the fate of the rise and fall of political parties.