The announcement by Bersih to hold yet another rally to demand for electoral reform has triggered mixed reactions.

The steering committee has set 28 April for a third rally for clean and fair elections as an immediate response to their frustrations on the electoral reforms report by the parliamentary select committee (PSC) which has failed to address fundamental electoral issues.

This time, the steering committee has opted for a sit-in protest at the Dataran Merdeka due to its historical relevance to the people's struggle for independence.

The protest, 'Bersih 3.0 Duduk Bantah', will be carried out nationwide and worldwide to manifest the disappointment over the authorities' alleged lack of commitment towards electoral reforms.

Civil society has been deployed as a key variable in explaining democratic political change, particularly in developing countries.

The growing political prominence of civil society has stimulated a great deal of thoughts about its role in the Malaysian politics.

The bigger issue that we are facing now is whether the movement itself could actually make a change in Malaysia.

Viewing civil society as a positive force for the development of democracy and good governance, many believe that strengthening civil society such as the movement by Bersih 3.0 will in return strengthen democracy.

However, we should not forget that civil society organisations could also weaken and fragment the political parties and government institutions.

There are serious possibilities for either one to happen in the context of Malaysia.

Some of the factors include the stage of political development, political opportunity and constraints, the size and resource base of the civil society organisations themselves, as well as the quality of their leadership.

I share the view that, with the exception of a breakdown situation, civil society organisations on their own have a limited effect and cannot substitute for the state or political parties.

On the other hand, I believe that in Malaysia's current situation, political parties and government are both depending on the direction of civil society organisations.

The issue at hand is to discover somehow what sort of relationship between them could actually work.

Civil society's potential for strengthening democracy, will only be realised if there are strong and accountable electoral systems, party systems and legislative-executive arrangements.

A strong civil society, and the 'social capital' embedded in its many associations, is often thought of as necessary to a strong democracy, and even capable of transforming an authoritarian regime to a democratic one.

But the relationship is never simple.

Civil society organisations though, are not a sure recipe for bringing about democracy, but today they seem necessary to accompany the growth of democracy and to be part of any political system.

Bersih 3.0 is possibly the last rally before the 13th general election, it could serve as the key determinant for the fate of our country.

The much talked upcoming election is the most crucial in the nation's history and most of the people have woken up to the fact that they have been taken for granted.

The turnout for the sit-in protest on 28 April will be a time for reflection for all Malaysians on the kind of legacy and future they want for the next generation.

The writer is attached as an academic staff in University Malaya, she is also a PhD candidate in the Department of Government and Civilisation Studies in the University Putra Malaysia.