Amid the lukewarm celebration of the Lunar New Year, it is indeed unfortunate to see that the atmosphere is somewhat marred by the recent spate of partisan mudslinging and incessant character assassination, particularly of that fuelled by the imminent Kajang by-election.

Against such a political backdrop that ushered in the Lunar Year of the Horse, I would like to remind all Malaysians that we are all Citizens of one country, and could be likened to the crew and passengers of one ship.

Constantly fighting over who would captain the ship, to the extent of punching holes in the ship to prove a point will do none of us any good. Instead, we should be more worried about where the ship is heading compared to the other ships beside us, rather than fighting among ourselves.

Notwithstanding, it is imperative that the Government of the day, likened to the Crew of the ship, and its Captain must take feedback from the people on board to ensure that the vessel is smooth sailing and heading in the right direction.

A wise Captain should always be decisive and courageous at critical moments when hard decisions are to be made. Any contemplation of “auto-piloting” or allowing the decision be guided by scores of advisors with diverse agendas but are not “on board” with the public is unlikely to augur well for the nation.

On the other hand, incessant political spats dominated by thoughtless statements would only serve to disgust the public and embarrass us in the international arena as our international perception serves as a convenient barometer for measuring the level of our partisan political maturity.

Knowing that the imminent Kajang by-election is unlikely to change the political landscape in Selangor, I envision that Kajang could be a watershed moment for Malaysia, where both sides would practice mature and progressive politics focused on values, issues, and contributions.

It is imperative that the contending parties should refrain from harping on thinly veiled insults, character assassination, and playing up racial and religious issues. They should instead endeavour to run clean and informative campaigns so that the Kajang electorate can make an informed decision in choosing their desired candidate who can lead and serve them well.

It's time for the discerning electorate to demand a new breed of political culture focusing not on popularity but the reasons for popularity – contributions, vision, and capability.

I believe that the desired awareness would ultimately dawn upon the Malaysian public to receive such progressive politics well at the expense of the prevailing negative and destructive politicization of issues.

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* ONG TEE KEAT is the former Transport Minister and former MCA President

** The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Astro AWANI.