What I am going to write may appear mundane to some of you. But in the course of my interactions with others and in the social media, I have actually come across the following observations even among educated and ‘savvy’ Malaysians.

(i) The head of government, ie the numero uno in government, could do no wrong and we could not second guess his/her motives or intentions;

(ii) We are a democracy because the government is elected periodically. In between elections we could do nothing, even if the roof has caved in.

(iii) Political activism like works carried out by Bersih are a waste of time. Five Bersih demonstrations have occurred, nothing has changed, so they alleged.

(iv) The police can stop, arrest, and convict you of any offence and mete out punishment as they please.

Maybe some of these feelings are borne out of personal observations and experience. If we are denied of our fundamental rights long enough, realities may just sink in.

But as Malaysians, no matter our circumstances, we must always cling on to our democratic rights. No matter how much they have stifled us, we must not stop questioning and demanding answers from those responsible. If we lose sight of this, they win and we lose by default.

The head of a government is not an emperor of a bygone era. The government the prime minister leads is the government based on the constitution and the rule of law. The prime minister is accountable for all actions and omissions in between elections.

The president of the USA is subjected to impeachment if he has done something wrong. He can’t argue he is elected directly by the people and therefore no censure could ever be imposed on him other than through another election.

If democracy is just elections, why then is there a need to have various institutions of government, separation of power, checks and balances, and rule of law? The government could do no wrong and account to no one until the next election.

Bersih is a bona fide organisation. Fighting for clean and fair elections and a clean government is not a crime. If we doubt the ‘authenticity’ and the effectiveness of Bersih, it means the psywar being staged has begun to works.

If Bersih has achieved nothing for Malaysia’s democracy, as accused by certain quarters, we too could have said the same thing on other institutions of government like the Parliament, the Judiciary, the Human Right Commission, the Election Commission and others.

The police are an enforcement agency. They cannot be the investigator, prosecutor and the judge at the same time. Police actions can only be based on applicable laws. It can’t promulgate laws or convict and sentence wrongdoers. Only the court of law can convict an offender and mete out the punishment accordingly. If our experience with the police is different, that is not real policing at work.

There is a term - ‘lose by default’ which means failure to act; or failure due to our inaction or neglect. The onslaught on democracy and basic human rights is everywhere, from Poland, Russia to even in the USA, as perpetrated largely by the privileged groups and the powers that be. If we do nothing, we lose by default. If we tolerate and accept abuse or irresponsible actions, we lose by default again.