Eying the future after elections

Can the general elections expected this year open up the path that leads to a turnaround in the political economy? Or will we just see business as usual despite the newly elected federal government in the saddle? The earliest sign to show in which direction the country would move after elections will be whether the election campaign is focused on how the nation’s key challenges are to be addressed or whether the political discourse will remain mired in power politics. Issues in the electoral campaign need to revolve around sound home-grown strategy, programme, policy, and plan of action to facilitate much-needed structural changes in the economy. And once approved by the electorate, the promises made to the voters need to be implemented by elected representatives. In case of a split mandate, the rival parties should come together to evolve a common programme and set the ball rolling. That would promote political stability and help improve governance. Prudent politics should precede like that in the case of the economic crisis in Malaysia in the late 1990s to put things right.