It is said that Malaysian voters only care about short-term, local issues which affect their daily lives and particular constituencies, and not about macro issues which shape the future of the entire nation.

So, whether there are decent roads for drivers and good business in the past few months are more important for the voters than whether civil and political rights are upheld and sustainable economic development maintained for the next decade or so for the country.

For the coming election, I believe that what is at stake is not a simple choice between voting for the ruling Barisan Nasional or the opposition. People tend to regard voting as a simple exercise of deciding which party wins and which party loses, but I believe it has a more complex meaning than that.

In the last general election, Umno suffered serious defeats in many constituencies (even Najib Razak only managed to win by a tiny margin). Although the BN still managed to hang on to its two-thirds majority, it was a serious enough blow was enough to send Dr Mahathir Mohamad into retirement and force the new PM to be seen to be doing something serious about corruption.

Therefore, it is crucial for the citizens to use their votes wisely in order to send the correct message to all politicians both the ruling and the opposition. Perhaps BN will win again this time, but it is not who wins or loses that counts, but the message that we send out. We better use our votes wisely because politicians only listen to us once in five years.

The war between Umno and PAS has been curiously mis-framed. Many see the choice between these two parties as between whether or not to implement the Hudud law and to establish an Islamic state. However, something much more fundamental and important is at stake.

It is obvious that the concept of an Islamic state is subject to a wide range of inconsistent interpretations. There are many kinds of Islamic states. The only authentic kind existed during the time of the Prophet (PBUH) and his companions, but the world is such a fundamentally different place now. Most Muslims do not see copying this ancient model of the Islamic state wholesale as the right direction to take.

But Umno, in a masterful move, capitalised on this ambiguity of this and declared that Malaysia is already an Islamic state. The real question therefore is - what kind of Islamic state do Muslims in this country want.

Therefore, a vote between these two Muslim-based parties is actually a referendum by Muslims in Malaysia on what kind of Islamic state they want and not simply on who is to form the next government because the kind of the government itself could be fundamentally altered.

To me, a vote for PAS is actually voting for a revolution. Not only a legal revolution to change the laws and to adopt a literal interpretation of the Islamic scriptures as laws. Not only a personnel change to vote in a batch of "more moral" people to govern us. Rather, it is a social revolution - to change the social class of people who are entitled to govern the people.

PAS aspires to a revolution in the model of the Iranian Revolution, but through the means of a democratic process. However, the end result of this revolution is the same in both cases - only one tiny group of people in our society will be entitled to govern us, have the power to change every aspect of our lives, and are immune to criticisms. They are the ulama, the holy men who are trained in the most sacred religious schools and whose commands are supposedly divinely-sanctioned.

The other side of the coin is, the rest of the population are excluded from the governance of the country. Half of them are the first to go - women. Non-Muslims too, almost half of the population.

Scientists, doctors, engineers, teachers, lawyers, businessmen, accountants, architects and all those who are not trained in the traditional Islamic way are, by definition, not fit to govern. Note that even then, there is only one Islamic way which will be acceptable - the ultra conservative, literalist Islamic scholars. Not the more liberal, reform-minded bunch, as could be seen recently in Iran.

What laws would be struck down? Obviously, at the top of the list are laws which would undermine the totalitarian grip of religious scholars on the daily lives of the people, such as giving the people the freedom to act without obtaining the approval of the Islamic ruling elite.

Also, whether an action is allowed or not must be determined by the Islamic scholars, including whether one can drink CocaCola or wear jeans. There is no longer the freedom to 'sin' - what is 'sinful' is of course subjectively defined by the ruling elite - such as not wearing 'proper attire,' or watching Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck kissing half a century ago.

Essentially, this is about whether we want an Islamic theocracy. Those who characterise the war between Umno and PAS any less significantly miss what is really at stake, and are perhaps even naive..

We have to send a loud and clear message to Umno that we expect much more reforms and cleaning up of dirty politics and politicians in Malaysia. We have to tell Umno that we are tired of the illusion of a prosperous economy purchased at the cost of escalating national debts.

Also, in my honest view, however unpleasant it might be to admit, the silent Muslim majority have to bear a large share of the responsibility for allowing PAS to grow into its present threatening position in the first place.

It is their refusal and inability to assert their moderate views which has led to this quagmire, this dilemma of having to choose between a corrupt regime and a dangerous regime. Therefore, they have to speak up, and clean up the mess first.

Of course, the non-Muslim minorities have their responsibilities too. One cannot deny the fact that in Malaysia, they are only allowed to play an entirely passive role in politics. It is only when our Muslim majority takes the lead in the right direction, which takes into account the interests of all races, that the non-Muslim minorities can lend their support.

To vote for Umno and to reject PAS in this election will mean that this time around, the moderate Muslim majority rejects the kind of backward, extreme and narrow politics practised by PAS. But it does not mean that Umno is safe forever. Umno will have to clean up themselves before the next election or they will be forever replaced by a meaningful alternative.

Therefore, I humbly ask to the silent, Muslim majority of Malaysia to use their votes wisely. In this election and the next, they should destroy PAS completely - and any hypocritical, opportunistic allies of these people.

Then, they should support and empower a meaningful alternative in the next five to 10 years so that Malaysian politics will evolve towards into its next phase and in the right direction. When 2014 comes, I hope that Umno itself will be defeated if they still refuse to grow up by then.

Be responsible, vote meaningfully. Vote for the future, not out of grudge. Think of other races and your children, your grandchildren and their children. I hope you reject the radical revolution sought by PAS, and empower the evolution of a meaningful alternative in the Malaysian polity. Evolution takes time to accomplish - it must begin now.