DEMOCRACY cannot guarantee that you vote in the right government, but it guarantees that you can vote out the wrong government. Jacqueline Ann Surin explains how we can tell when it’s the wrong government in power.

THE Barisan Nasional government has been making a lot of promises as a decisive general election looms. Of all the promises the Umno-led coalition has made, which should citizens be most concerned about?

One of the exhortations to Malay Malaysian voters as the general election looms is to vote the party that will ensure Malay and Muslim unity. When politicians, academics and royalty start to promote Malay and Muslim unity, are they peddling an ideal for the nation or a dangerous myth for the masses?

THERE is a new threat against Muslims in Malaysia and its name is pluralism. But just what kind of threat does pluralism pose to Malaysian Muslims? And what are other nations, which also experience cultural and religious diversity, doing about pluralism that we may learn from them?

According to MCA, a vote for DAP equals a vote for PAS equals a vote for an Islamic state and hudud. Is there truth to any of the charges and predictions MCA is making? And are they being completely honest about what the Umno-led Barisan Nasional itself has been responsible for?

What really is all the fuss over the theme, logo and song lyrics of our upcoming Merdeka celebrations? Is it really a case of political manoeuvrings by the Barisan Nasional (BN)? Or poor judgement by the government of the day? Or both? Or does it say something more about what the current federal leadership promotes?