It is not necessary to support the PR just because one is opposed to the BN. At the end of the day, the people must be able to choose the right candidate of whatever party who will be able to serve the people effectively. Today, the BN are doing the disservice. Tomorrow it may be the PR.

Our immediate goal must be the restoration of democracy and citizen rights. If there is any likelihood that the BN can do that, then we should give them the chance. But, based on what they have been doing in the last 2 years, doing right by the people appears to be the last thing on their mind. That being the case, they need to be displaced so that the PR is given the chance to do better.

If, because they failed to choose suitable candidates, the PR are unable to deliver, then perhaps the (hopefully reformed) BN should again be given the next mandate. That is the operation of a 2-party system.

Permanent party loyalty is not necessary. And that is not sitting on the fence.

the dire straits she is in resulted from perpetration of power abuse, evil and wickedness, greed and corruption as much unravelling has shown

the citizen who longs and prays for the country’s deliverance from the pits can be critical and reflective at all times but is there any time left for not making a choice

Given the recent ‘frog-oriented’ turmoil in Pakatan, perhaps it’s more important to sell the credentials of the specific *people* standing for election, instead of (or in addition to) – as per the general populist ‘strategy’ in the 2008 elections – voting against BN simply to get more parliamentary seats.

This could perhaps be one blind-spot of being 110% partisan, in that we could be voting for the specific party REGARDLESS of the actual virtues or vices of the candidates. The paradoxical challenge for Pakatan here, too, could be in the case where the BN candidate is more qualified and respected than ours – if so, wouldn’t it be simply appropriate and ‘right’ to vote BN?

[I realize as I write this that could be an extremely naïve position to take; on second thoughts, though, it’s surely telling that Pakatan’s troubles in Perak began with – how many? Is it THREE? – candidates defecting, resulting in the snow-balling chaos and fiasco which have barely been resolved. In retrospect, would it be too exaggerating to say that the Perakian people *would have been better off* if Pakatan never won those seats in the first place?! Whilst there was undeniable BN hanky-panky going on, it must be remembered that Nizar & Co. failed to prevent the defections and if they are to be proudly saluted for their victories they must - they MUST! - be properly chastened for their failures.]

Of course, as I suspect more and more people are feeling, it could be that NEITHER party (or candidate – then again, we’ll need to check) deserves our vote. Here I’d like the reiterate (the not extremely popular) call that Pakatan needs to spend MORE time convincing the people why *they* are capable of running the government; right now unfortunately it seems to me that the key message is primarily why BN no longer warrants our support.
(Perhaps in this context it could be more ‘pro-active’ to talk less about a ‘2-Malaysia’, a largely negative/fault-finding endeavor, and promote a ‘True 1 Malaysia’ i.e. why Pakatan is the real thing which BN can only fake).

Whilst sitting on the fence is an *uncomfortable* position, it may at times be the more reflective and critical one (not least if taking firm ground, as Keat Peng says, comes with the quick – and all too tempting – incentive of relief from the pain on tender parts).