I refer to the Malaysiakini report Dr M: Don't repeat my 'mistake' .

I truly agree with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad that Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi should step down gracefully, rather than clinging on to ‘power’ with a very poor excuse of stating that he wants to see ‘projects’ are mobilised under the 9th Malaysian Plan.

It is truly the saddest state Malaysian politics has ever been in and I sincerely see a very bleak future for Umno/BN.

The reason why I am compelled to mention this observation is the ineffectiveness of the federal government under Abdullah and his cabinet in managing Malaysia as honourable and responsible statesman without prejudice to truly serve the rakyat .

The federal government equals Umno/BN, hence the dilemma. The pains experienced by all Malaysians rest on the shoulders of these ineffective politicians churned up by the Umno machinery which is a 50-year old product that many Malaysian are shunning as proven in the recent elections and more will follow suit as the product being sold has proven consistently to be of below par quality, ineffective, defective and not worth the value as ‘advertised’ by Abdullah since he came into power.

I feel powerless and frustrated - as a Malaysian - looking at the attitude and mentality of Umno leaders engaged in distasteful acts especially in stoking racial tensions and using the issue of race as a political gambit to create uncertainty and confusion amongst Malaysians of all races every time there is a threat to the establishment.

This is very wrong, and to say the least, is the very reason why the ISA was supposedly to be use to remedy.

If it was up to me I would propose for Abdullah to be removed together with Najib, the AG and the IGP. The election process of the Umno presidency should be liberalised and to be transparent to encourage democracy to the fullest.

The AG should be nominated with the participation of the Bar Council and if possible, include polling by lawyers for a pre-election consensus. The IGP should be selected by the Rulers of Malaysia as they are supposedly to be the rakyat ’s guardian.

A deputy minister’s post should not be held by a member of the same political party but someone that truly has the support of the rakyat and not just of a political party to truly reflect democracy and respect the meaning of the word.

The Election Commission should also be independent and reports directly to a royal committee or an international organisation which serves as a watchdog for democracy.

The Election Commission should also immediately embark on a educational programme to the rural areas to educate voters there on the true meaning of democracy and the importance of their voting rights which will affect their next generations and the country as a whole if not done in the interest of democracy.

Lastly, all politicians must be of a minimum educational level to even be considered a viable candidate for any election, like a university degree or higher. The same benchmark will apply for all state departments and ministries in all government departments throughout the country.

Lastly, all local universities must practice meritocracy and abolish the quota system and establish more government or community colleges. This will ensure quality graduates are produced by quality universities to remedy the brain drain dilemma in Malaysia.