Why I will vote for Zaid Ibrahim of PKR:

1. He is a man of integrity and boldness: During his short stint as the law minister, Zaid boldly attempted and was able to correct the greatest wrong of the Barisan National (BN) government inflicted on to the Judiciary. He initiated the move to compensate and apologise to the judges who were unceremoniously and wrongly sacked in 1988.

Although there was no formal apology, this was a big step in the right direction which, of course, did not go down too well with many who were in the corridors of power. And when the opposition and opposition-friendly were arrested under the Internal Security Act, Zaid, who was then in BN, again stepped forward to state that he was opposed to such actions.

When a wrong has been done - even to the opposition - Zaid had no qualms about saying so to the people of his own party. This is refreshing but you do not see anyone else doing it.

Not wanting to be part of the unrepentant BN government, he quit his ministerial position. Again, a bold and unselfish move compared to people like the Bayan Baru MP who jumped ship because he wanted to be part of the federal government when Anwar Ibrahim was not able materialise taking over Putrajaya.

2. Potential future prime minister: It is a known fact that Zaid’s talent and potential makes him a highly acclaimed candidate to fill Anwar Ibrahim’s shoes as the next PKR top leader. When Barisan Alternatif takes over the federal government, the people of Hulu Selangor will be greatly privileged to have a member of Parliament who will potentially be the PM too.

3. MP for the people: Zaid has said that he will be a MP for all, regardless of race or religion. That is the key thrust of an MP who is not from a race-based party or a government that governs along racially-divided policies.

MIC MPs are not many and you will expect all of them to focus their limited time and energy to voice out (and hopefully be heard!) on national issues that will impact only the Indians.

Why I will not vote for P Kamalanathan of BN/MIC:

1. He is a ‘parachuted candidate’: S Samy Vellu and MIC Hulu Selangor were most adamant in fielding G Palanivel as their candidate. Khairy Jamaluddin wanted someone younger. Umno Hulu Selangor said they did not want Palanivel. MIC is now a very small fry in BN that even the voice of their one time ‘great leader’ is hushed up.

The MIC when no longer in power, or king-makers, are trampled upon and their top leadership humiliated. To save face, Samy and company had to settle for a compromise candidate, Kamalanathan.

Why should I support a candidate from a party that BN themselves does not respect? If BN does not respect the leadership of a party that represents a minority race, how could I expect them to respect the ordinary man on the street?

2. Unsure candidate: In a recent media interview, Kamalanathan’s reply to many questions were ‘I do not know’. This is a shocking response coming from a so-called public relations man. I do not want my MP to say ‘I do not know’ when responding to questions in Parliament. I do not want my MP to say ‘I do not know’ when the constituents approach him to seek explanations on local issues.

3. Wrong signal: A victory for BN will send a wrong signal that they are back on track and the people who left them are all back into the fold again. The shocking results of the 2008 general elections (GE) made BN tremble and go soft in the knees.

They were ‘forced’ to take a hard look at themselves and see where they went wrong. They know they cannot take the people for granted because the people can give them the boot like what they did in five states.

A victory in Hulu Selangor and the recent string of defections will make BN rest on their laurels again and take things easy. It will be good for the people if BN are always kept on their toes. A defeat here will give them a reality check and place their feet on solid ground again.

It has been more than two years since the last general election. Have you witnessed any significant change other than rhetoric and flashy but empty slogans? It is hoped the simple points raised above will help voters still on the fence to make the better decision this Sunday.