Before the elections, Najib Razak, the Deputy BN President, labelled the PKR as ‘Parti Kurang Releven’ (The Less Relevant Party). In the recent election, PKR won 31 parliamentary seats, the largest number won by any ‘opposition’ party. So now, what does Najib think of the PKR? Can he swallow back his words? Is he now eating humble pie?

Whatever it is, the new cabinet has been named and all ministers have been sworn in. I would like to request the Prime Minister to particularly pay serious attention to the following 13 measures (Pak Lah's lucky number) if he wants the people to support BN in the next general election:

1. Stop using state TV stations to promote only your party – RTM should just provide news and neutral editorials and not be the official organ of Umno-BN.

2. Allow PAS, DAP and PKR to publish their party organs Harakah, The Rocket and Keadilan more frequently; better yet, let them run private TV stations.

3. Abolish the ISA, and use other less draconian existing laws to deal with whatever misdemeanours committed by citizens.

4. Relax the laws that stifle public show of disaffection (read ‘peaceful demonstrations’) and tell the police to be more tolerant towards peaceful demonstrators. Do not have double standards in giving permits for peaceful assemblies.

5. Tell newspaper editors to stop apple polishing you as party leader and Prime Minister. Allow greater freedom of the press. Let them report the good things that ‘opposition’ (your reference to non-BN political parties) state governments do.

6. Do not treat opposition party leaders as your enemies - have greater respect for them as they are also chosen by the people.

7. Stop stoking racial sentiments like you used to do during your GPMS days as its president.

8. Apologise to Anwar Ibrahim over what you uttered during the campaigns and at the time parliament was dissolved.

9. Admit your mistake in employing Chandra Muzaffar and Nallakaruppan to run down Anwar Ibrahim’s reputation during the height of the election campaign.

10. Tell you son-in-law to shut his mouth more often and not to use his relationship with you to promote his political ambitions. Let him contest for party posts rather than obtaining them through the back-door. Have ‘open tenders’ rather ‘negotiated contracts’ if he wants high positions in Umno.

11. Stop having snap elections, but give ample time for all parties to prepare; better yet, fix the GE date like the Americans do. Create a level playground in these contests to win the people’s hearts and minds.

12. Place the Election Commission under the direct control of parliament and make it an independent body.

13. Forget about Islam Hadhari as it has caused confusion among Muslims in this country.

If you do even half of the above you will go far in restoring the people’s confidence in the ‘re-engineered’ BN. Better than the whole cabinet put together.