Time to go people...

Check out this list. It is not exhaustive.

• Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu - MIC president and cabinet minister for 29 years
• Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz - MP for 30 years, minister 28 years
• Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik - Gerakan veteran and cabinet minister for 26 years
• Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang - de facto DAP leader since 1969, 39 years
• DAP chairman Karpal Singh - active in politics for 34 years
• Sarawak CM Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud - cabinet minister in 1972, CM for 27 years
• Pas strongman Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat - elected representative for the past 40 years

NST’s editor says today:

“THE ages of Malaysia's 31 cabinet ministers add up to a whopping 1,830 years... this works out to a ripe average of 59, which is three years above the official retirement age in the civil service.”

And adds:

“...if the coming election is held on March 8 as speculated, it would fall on Samy Vellu's 72nd birthday. He is the eldest member of the cabinet and would be 77 by the time the next election is due.”

And finally:

“...it has to be noted that one-third of the present cabinet is 64 and above. Some of the ministers, it is said, do not even know how to retrieve an email or send a text message.

...so many of them - some sickly, some way over the hill- are going around "offering", sometimes pleading, to be chosen again because of their "services and sacrifices".”

I don’t see these veterans giving way voluntarily. Their parties should just have the guts to drop them.

In fact the PM should have dropped the veteran cabinet members during his first cabinet reshuffle in 2004.

And if they are still chosen, voters should just ignore their candidacy? Would they do that?

(Read the NST article - Learn the art of the graceful exit - here)