The police had warned Malaysian citizens that a mass gathering to welcome Anwar Ibrahim would not be allowed as no permit had been issued.

What puzzles me is why the police have not issued the permit when they had ample time to do so. They are there to provide protection to the participants and to minimise inconvenience to others. Surely that is something within their capability to do so; after all, they had allowed a large gathering at Kelab Sultan Sulaiman in Kampung Baru on Feb 4, 2001.

The police could have been professional in carrying out their job. They could have advised the organisers on the steps to be taken to avoid or prevent any undesirable incident from taking place; they could have lent their presence to allow Malaysians to welcome home someone whom they have not seen for six years.

Instead, the police threatened to hold the organisers responsible for any undesirable incident, without first defining what constitutes "undesirable incident".

It seems that for as long as the police believe they are there to protect the ruling parties, Malaysian citizens can be assured of peace and tranquility for as long as they do not antagonise the ruling parties.