The letter by Amera warrants my immediate response.

As a voter for the past four general elections in an urban area, I find that Amera is right in describing the situation at the voting booths during elections.

Chinese Malaysians are a unique lot, when it comes to voting during elections as observed by the following occurrences:

Despite the low turnout at the opposition booths during the election, candidates from the opposition still manage to win the election, some by huge majorities when the results are announced.

This goes to show that voters do not want to be seen as pro-opposition by appearing in the opposition booths. It is a 'play safe' mentality especially for the Chinese.

A huge turnout at opposition ceramah does not guarantee success in an election. This shows that people are hungry for information which are not available in our mass media, and after having satisfied themselves, will decide on who to vote based on bread-and-butter issues.

Pas won some seats because of Chinese support - Kajang is a classic case where half of the electorate comprises Chinese - despite the general fear of the party, and the constant reminders to fear, courtesy of the mass media.

The trouble with us is that the racial and religious divide has been so embedded in our minds that it is inconceivable to think of having an election where the sole criteria is to choose a candidate based on merit alone.