COMMENT | After the country had watched so many uprisings in the past to reform the electoral system and to improve Malaysian democracy, the 15th general election (GE15) could be the harbinger of those better times to come.

That said, post-GE15 should, essentially, be about building a better society where we care more for one another and there is a lesser gap between the wealthy and the poor.

It would have been highly inspiring if somewhere along the campaign trail, someone had stood up assertively to tell the nation: “Look, our country is in a bad shape. Let’s pick up the broken pieces and mend the nation TOGETHER.”

Sure, there were some half-hearted attempts to use the election campaigns as a platform of national unity and promises of more jobs, lower prices, better healthcare and education opportunities, and more investments in food technology, agriculture and infrastructure.

But these had been heard over and over since, perhaps, Malaysia recovered from the sectarian clashes of the 1969 general election. We keep hearing the same refrain every time an election comes around.

Naturally, we should look at what each candidate stands for. More importantly, we should recognise that every party consists of people with different political affiliations but have a common goal. There’s never a ‘correct’ candidate or party to vote for.

There was a semblance of a fiesta when the candidates were announced at the respective nomination centres on Nov 5, with 945 aspirants vying for the 222 seats in the Dewan Rakyat.

At the same time, 116 state seats went up for grabs in Pahang, Perak and Perlis, in state polls concurrently run with the federal elections.

With 20 parties and 108 independents in the fray (according to the Election Commission website) the whopping number of contenders can be taken as a reflection of our flourishing democracy.

However, the euphoria of the crowded field gradually...