“Everything the state says is a lie, and everything it has it has stolen.”

- Friedrich Nietzsche

They keep the light on because they want to break Maria Chin Abdullah, physically and psychologically. Deprive a person of sleep, intimidate the “client”, harass, humiliate, and pile on the pressure. Use her family, friends and her own words against her. Attempt to destroy her emotionally and make her detention a lesson to those who would want to “attack” the Umno state.

People like Jamal ‘red-shirt’ Md Yunos will never be in this position for obvious reasons. Instead, a mother and political activist has to pay the price. Politicians who made speeches at the rally are exempted, of course. No doubt, they pick up the usual suspects, the folks they know whose arrests won’t cause much interference, but the real catch has always been Maria Chin.

If you think about it, the red-shirts are the real terrorist organisation. A state-sanctioned ethno-religious cult that through violence and intimidation stalked Malaysians who chose to exercise their democratic rights. With one swipe, everything the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) did that was professional and ethical during the Bersih rally has been destroyed by Umno potentates for their cause to maintain hegemony.

There is an overt element of cowardice in detaining Maria under Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma). Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed says former prime minister and de facto opposition leader Dr Mahathir Mohamad could face arrest, but Umno is worried that the former strongman may be setting a trap for the Umno regime to gain public sympathy.

Of course, Maria poses no such traps or threats. An ordinary citizen, she has no power but what her supporters give. She has no political allies that could move the internal mechanism of Umno power. She has no influence within Umno that would caution against action taken against her.

If the people are really sick and tired of Bersih as Umno claims, then why is the state going after Maria? If numbers do not matter as claimed by minister Salleh Said Keruak, then why detain an activist and mother who led the rally?

The only reason why Maria Chin Abdullah is treated like a terrorist is because far from being a threat to public order, she is a threat to Umno order. Like the thousands who walked the streets on Saturday, we were showing our contempt for how this country is governed. We were showing our contempt for the leadership of this country. Were we violent? Were we a threat to public order? Were we an economic threat?

When Puad asks, “Is Bersih a registered political organisation?”, he is not only being mendacious but also clearly has no understanding of the law he is referencing. However, Umno in its own dumb way is attempting to set up its own trap. What did Puad think by his misreading of the law, that folks will be flummoxed and suddenly make the mistake of claiming that Bersih is a political organisation?

Mind you, I personally could care less if Bersih is partisan as I explained in a piece to the run-up to the rally...