maximalminimality

Catalysis is the best word to describe Malaysia in the past few years, especially as it drew closer to the national election. Catalysis is a chemistry and physics jargon used to express a reaction which is the result of an available catalyst.

If you are still lost in the mists of confusion, you must either be an ignorant fool or an ignorant idiot (take your pick). Probably the hottest topic in the headlines this year is nothing other than the 2008 general elections in Malaysia. Despite the continuous ruling by the National Front, I was quite certain that there will be surprising changes this time around.

With the government holding the power to screen mass media and the unforgivable ability to channel resources towards 'increasing confidence levels' in the public, you can barely turn the pages of the newspaper without seeing a horrific amount of advertisements which signified a blatant sign of insecurity, barely able to watch your favorite television programs before being unconsciously brainwashed, and barely able to listen to your favorite tunes before the blue scales stride in. Seriously a waste of taxpayers money.

Over the years, the increasing levels of education and political awareness amongst people in the developed states has shown a fairer sort of liberal democracy. People wanted change. It's the simplest form of the chaos theory in action: once people settled to a stable level, they will arise and start instigating change. People wanted MORE. And they know that some drastic changes in the governmental layers needed to take place.

I am quite happy with the results. Although the National Front is still the undeniable ruling party, the opposition has garnered quite a huge amount of support from the states of Kedah, Pulau Pinang, Perak, Selangor and WP KL. This will in turn make the government learn to think more maturely and liberally whilst giving opportunities for the opposition to show their capabilities within cooperative relations. In turn, the voices of the Parliament will be more mixed, giving rise to a wider range of opinions instead of a one-off interest.

I look forward to a brighter future.

The writer is a Psychology student who studied cultural anthropology and political science.