THEY are all gathered at a food stall for a relaxed meal together. The group includes a bajaj driver, a neighborhood security guard, a satay hawker, and a few university students. Abruptly, one interrupts the casual conversation with a comment about the upcoming general elections, which continues to be haunted by the specter of widespread disorder.

Im tired of it all, nothing but squabbling and fighting, the bajaj driver chips in. When can we be s