I applaud DAP’s Tony Pua and his team for the two books on how the federal government is mis-spending the budget. I think this came at a good time for preparatory work to inspire the next definitive groundswell for regime change.

I would like to draw a parallel after 1998 when almost everybody in the ‘reformasi’ street knew the election laws and procedures including electoral court procedures like the back of their hands.

I think the de-mystification of the electoral law and processes including laying bare the faces and antics of the Election Commission have done a lot of good.

This experience has allowed the people to take hold of their destiny in electoral democracy as evidenced finally in March 2008. In that experience, both civil society and political party activists came as one.

I see a possible strategy in working on the de-mystification of government spending. This should be linked in the Pakatan Rakyat-held states, including Perak (yes, Perak) to the mis-spending of past governments.

The recent expose by Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahimof gross financial mismanagement by the previous state government has to be internalised by the voters. He made this possible through the declassification of 'officially secret' documents.

It does appear that the OSA has been misused by the previous government to prevent scrutiny of dubious and wasteful development projects.

The federal-state linkages in this de-mystification are important to win parliamentary and state seats.

This campaign has to be taken to the streets. There are NGOs who are watchdogs on corruption but these groups are ill-equipped to drum up grassroots activism.

This campaign could be one where opposition politics and the aspirations of the voter could come together again for the 13th general election.

Viva reformasi!