Big policies ought to be the focus in Malaysia's 14th general election

MALAYSIA'S upcoming election will be unlike any other, as one former prime minister pits himself against the incumbent Najib Razak, now caretaker leader following Parliament's dissolution.

The run-up to the May 9 contest has also seen, unsurprisingly, both sides of the political divide woo voters with big campaign carrots promising, particularly on the part of the long-ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, new jobs, a higher standard of living and better quality of life. Arguably any political party seeking the mandate to rule would. But in Malaysia's high-stakes GE14, there is a risk that pocketbook promises may well outweigh big-picture public policies in framing what's needed to carry the nation forward.

In the previous 2013 elections, the BN coalition retained its power but failed to wrest back its super majority for the second successive GE and had also lost the popular vote. This time, Mr Najib's moves so far to win the hearts of the citizenry at the ballot booth underscores the point that this will be the "mother of all elections".