The BN government is successfully isolating itself from the rakyat. In a state of denial, they feel last Friday's protest against the recent oil price hike was politically motivated by opposition groups. They have clearly lost touch with the ground. This is not a sudden phenomena; it is the manifestation of a decade-long slide towards arrogance and authoritarianism.

You see, the leaders cannot speak with a clear conscience as long as there are questions of impropriety, corruption and abuse left unanswered. When the PM came into power, he promised sweeping reforms and a clean-up of corruption and cronyism. To date we not only see more of it, it has become even more blatant.

We live in an information age and when a minister or her relatives drive luxury cars and live in palaces, the rakyat knows. When a minister's sons and in-laws obtain million-ringgit contracts and become millionaires before they reach 30, the rakyat knows. When corrupt leaders are retained in their positions for decades and have a string of controversies following them, the rakyat knows.

Dear prime minister, it's not the 30 sen price hike, it's the list of broken promises. The bailouts and the privatisation of the 1990s are nothing but the rape of the nation's coffers. We want an independent jury and investigation into all those wanton years of waste.

On Friday, the rakyat protested. A handful of people with strong emotions represented the sentiments of the nation. You doused their bodies with chemically-laced water but you inflamed the passion for justice. Even if you squelch their will, the rakyat shall take it to 2008. Even before that, our Sarawak brothers will speak.