By TK Chua

A government elected fairly, freely and democratically is the best means to attain political stability and harmony for the nation.

It is not just the winning, but how we win that determines legitimacy and acceptability.

The people are not stupid. They will not accept a government that is formed based on excessive manipulation. There are enduring democratic principles and ethics that must be adhered to.

A “legally constituted” government ipso facto connotes legitimacy and acceptability.

We accept that some constituencies should be larger than others but surely this irregularity cannot become systemic.

While we accept that one constituency is larger than another, surely this cannot be without limits. How many times in terms of voters should a constituency be bigger than the other: two times, five times or 10 times?

While we accept the rights of political parties to campaign for support, surely we know when the process has turned to blatant bribery and abuse of public funds.

While we accept that constituencies are drawn based on geography and population distribution, surely we can’t accept deliberate manipulation to demarcate constituencies based on voter profiles, race and religion.

A government formed out of minority votes should be the rare exception rather than a general rule.

A government that is legitimate and accepted by the people must recognise hard realities. It cannot ignore the urban population who are dynamic, productive and constitute the majority.

Don’t ever forget, urban voters are major taxpayers and the creators of the gross domestic product. A government formed without their support can’t be stable or harmonious for long.

There is a limit to everything.

TK Chua is an FMT reader.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.