I refer to the Malaysiakini report PM threatens to use ISA against protesters .

By threatening to use the ISA against people who protest on the streets to air their grievances, the government is losing the plot on how to handle street protests. From Terengganu to Putrajaya, Bersih's protest for clean elections and Hindraf's latest demonstrations on the plight of the poor Hindu community, people seem to have no faith in the present government. They are willing to break the law and be arrested for demonstrating in public.

Instead of looking into the root cause of people demonstrating in public, the government wants to use the dreaded ISA to silence their critics. People nowadays are not afraid to voice their opinions in public. Hauling the leaders of street protest to Kamunting or some other prison cells will make them martyred and their followers will worship them still.

In an open society, people are more aware of their rights and will not tolerate any injustice by the present regime. Surely the government is fully aware of what ails society today - where rampant corruption and abuse of power by the high and mighty have caused the common people, regardless of race and creed, to suffering inflation on goods and services.

One cannot deny the fact that the Indian community is a marginalised group in our society. Their recent demonstrations at the British embassy is a cry for help and for the government to look into their grievances as abject poverty seems to hit them harder compared to other races. The poorest among the ethnic groups of this country deserve more help to take them out of the cycle of despair. Although the government has done much to reduce abject poverty since independence, one can see that the economic cake of this country is not distributed evenly, causing certain communities to take the streets to air their grievances.

It does not look good on our country's image if street protests occur every now and then. It will drive away foreign investments and tourists if foreigners think that our country is not stable. Even local businessmen and hoteliers are complaining that business is not good when street protest occurs on weekends.

But for the government to use the ISA against the leaders of street protests is an exercise in futility. Other leaders will replace the ones arrested under the ISA. People are not afraid to be detained for voicing their grievances in public. The government has to tread carefully in this matter as racial riots might occur in this country. We do not want the ghost of May 13 to occur again with killing, burning of buildings and mayhem on the streets.

The present government will have to produce their report cards in the next poll. Looking at all the demonstrations that occurred during Pak Lah leadership, one is not sanguine that the present regime will win big in the coming polls. One tends to suspect that using the dreaded ISA against those who oppose their leadership is a desperate move to quell public dissent against the present government.

The ISA should be used as a last retort to stop racial bigots from flaming the emotions of their race to go against another race. It should not be used to curb dissenting voices of the public who want to air their grievances. The present regime would be wise to listen to the common people's complaints rather than to brush it aside as time is not on their side. Come the next general elections, the tide might change and the political landscape might favour the opposition if the present regime is full of leaders who only enrich themselves, their families and cronies.

Enough of this nonsense. In the coming polls, vote for people who have public welfare at heart.