The Machap by-election will be an important milestone for the Chinese community. It will determine - after 50 years of BN rule - whether the Chinese community will opt for a change or remain and continue to be marginalised by the present government.

The choice for the people of Machap is a simple one. After 50 years, where do we go from here? The present government seems to have lost its direction and no longer has the capability to lead this multi-cultural, multi-racial and multi-religious nation.

Instead of fostering goodwill among the people, the government has implemented divisive racial policies that have polarised the different races. Its affirmative race-based policy has benefitted only one community and discriminated against the rest.

Even the affirmative action policy has been hijacked to benefit only a few elite Umno members. After 50 years, the Malay rural heartlands of Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Perlis, Kedah and Johor still remain impoverished.

Corruption has crept into every level of our daily lives. Corrupt politicians and civil servants are so prevalent that the system is powerless to act against them. Our political masters are reluctant to bring the culprits to justice because they themselves are just as tainted with corruption.

Our judiciary is presided over by spineless judges guided by religious emotions and personal convictions rather than the rule of law as defined in our sacred constitution.

So where do we go from here?

That question should not only be directed at the Chinese but to all the races in Machap. If after 50 years, the path taken is still littered with potholes, then it's high time we make a change. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.

To begin our journey, the people of Machap must take that first step to vote in the opposition. Failure is not an option because our very future may well depend on it.