The government has enraged the rakyat yet again with an ill-implemented, drastic and burdensome increase of the oil prices early this month. Subsequently a good number of concerned citizens have taken to the streets albeit in small numbers to protest and exercise their rights in a democratic country.

Malaysians have seen how effective mass protests are with the general elections result and no one can deny that the Bersih's and Hindraf's November 2007 rallies opened the eyes of an ignorant public that not all is fine and dandy in our lovely country.

As one of the passive street protesters in Bersih's rally last year who happened to walk in front of DAP's Lim Kit Siang all the way from Masjid Negara to Istana Negara, and was accosted surreally at a junction by the revered Islamic leader of PAS, Tuan Guru Haji Abdul Hadi Awang; I would like to call upon all of Pakatan Rakyat's elected and non-elected leaders from Klang Valley to ensure they walk with the rakyat during the upcoming protest rallies against the price hikes.

Cancel all other appointments if they can. It will be a strong message to the BN government that the PR leaders are not far removed from the realities on the ground, and I hope they can act as a shield for the people and a deterrent to the unforeseeable rough acts of FRU police, if any.

We have seen our elected PR MPs perform in a mediocre manner at the first sitting of the 12th Parliament - none of them had strongly pushed and probed BN's planned action for oil price hike. Most of the time, on other issues brought up, the PR MPs merely swallowed the answers from the BN ministers.

Hence, there is no effect whatsoever on the way the BN government continues to dispense with federal level policies.

I fervently ask for the PR leaders to walk with the rakyat and please, do not show up at the last minute riding a car or motorcycle. We, the rakyat want leaders who tread down the dirty roads with us, and who really truly feel our anger and dissatisfactions.

On a related note, I commend the Selangor MCA's proposal to the government to slash or abolish road tax and do away with tolls on roads in the state altogether. Let's hope with more BN's own leaders voicing out on the concerns of the rakyat, we will get a better Malaysia to live in. The onus is on every single one of us to change our country for the better.