We must use the ballot papers in our hands to throw out any political alliance that exploits racial and religious issues to tear up this country.

Following the dissolution of the six state assemblies, election commission chairman Abdul Ghani Salleh met on Wednesday morning and announced that nomination for the Kedah, Penang, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Terengganu and Kelantan state elections will be on July 29, while polling is on August 12. The total cost for the 14-day campaign period is RM420 million.

When former prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced the dissolution of parliament on October 10 last year to pave way for the 15th general election, these six states did not dissolve their assemblies, hence the state elections this August.

The 2023 April electoral roll will be adopted for the six state elections that will see a total of 9,773,571 eligible voters going to the polls next month.

First-time voters aged between 18 and 24 will constitute the single biggest factor of uncertainty in the state elections, and there is a likelihood that the 15th general election results will be duplicated this time, with PAS-Bersatu PN enjoying vast popularity among young Malay voters.

Before the state assemblies were dissolved, the unity government was helming the states of Penang, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, while Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah were controlled by the PN.

To the unity government, the best outcome that they can look forward to is to retain the three state administrations, as it is by no means easy for them to capture the states now under PN.

Even if PN manages to capture any of the states held by the unity government, that will not mean the federal government is going to collapse anytime soon. Nevertheless, this does mean that the unity government will have a very tough journey ahead before the next general election.

As for MUDA led by the very young Syed Saddiq, perhaps the party may successfully draw some young voters over to its side, but we have no way to tell whether it will gain enough strength to be kingmakers in the states. This is because the battles in Selangor and Negeri Sembilan are going to be extremely tough, and a “hung” state assembly is not altogether impossible.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has spent the last seven months of his premiership to strive to right the wrongs of the previous administrations, including improving the low-efficiency civil service, combating corruption, revitalizing the national economy, stemming the spiraling inflation, addressing the plight of the people, stabilizing the ringgit exchange rate and wooing foreign investors…

Bear in mind that Anwar is now undoing many mistakes of previous governments, including the 22 years and 107 days under Tun Mahathir.

With the economic prospect anything but promising, by right political parties on both sides of the divide should set aside their differences and work together to fix the many problems of this country, after last year’s elections, as we are really running out of time now!

Unfortunately, our politicians are more eager to wrestle for power than doing something for the well-being of Malaysians, often through the exploitation of sensitive racial and religious issues.

In the meantime, a senile politician like Tun M is still working very hard to tear up the Malaysian society with his ridiculous and seditious remarks negating Malaysia’s multiculturalism, arguing that the Malays will become very miserable if they no longer dominate politically.

National unity has come by easily. It is hoped that all our politicians will bear in mind that they have the duty to promote greater unity among Malaysians, not to divide them further.

Tuesday, Mahathir met up with Muhyiddin Yassin whom he used to call “robber” to discuss how they would cooperate in the Malay Proclamation.

It is ironical that politics can easily wipe out a person’s memories and make him forgo his principles. Does Mahathir remember who robbed him of his premiership, and who kicked him out of Bersatu’s door?

This cooperation is not going to last long. One is trying to exploit the residual value of an old man to fish Malay votes, while another is just trying to stay in the limelight before he fades into oblivion towards the end of his life.

The country Malaysia belongs to everyone of us. The Federal Constitution has stated very clearly the separation of the legislative, executive and judicial branches of the federal government.

The Constitution has also explicitly assured Malaysians that their right and freedom are fully protected. While Islam is recognized as the official religion, Malaysians are free to embrace any religious faith, while the Malays enjoy privileged status… Everything has been very clearly stated in the country’s Constitution, and no one will question the privileges of the Malays.

So, stop querying Malaysia’s multicultural reality for your own selfish interests!

The six state elections will be held on August 12. It is hoped that the 9.77 million eligible voters will head to their polling stations to choose the right people to serve the people.

We must use the ballot papers in our hands to throw out any political alliance that exploits racial and religious issues to tear up this country.

All we want today is progress and stability, and the results of the six state elections will determine the destiny of this country in future.