I refer to the letter For Anwar, Fairus betrayed Penanti voters .

It is shocking to note that the writer is completely ignorant of what transpired in the Philippines and Indonesia when he equated Malaysia's political situation with those countries. In both these countries dictators ruled with an iron fist and enriched themselves, their cronies and families to the misery and suffering of their people.

Indonesia was ruled after independence by two leaders who were not democratically elected. Sukarno's rule was based on communism and he was overthrown by Suharto. Though Sukarno was not known to be corrupt, the same could not be said about Suharto who ruled Indonesia for more than thirty years.

At the height of the Indonesian people's uprising, three out of the ten richest Indonesians were Suharto's children. That is how he, his family and cronies looted and plundered that country. Those with power and influence got richer and richer and those existing on a subsistence living suffered in abject poverty. This caused the people to rise and fight the dictatorial Suharto regime.

The political situation in Indonesia then was based on a unitary party system where only the Golkar party existed. The situation was no different from the communist countries which are based on an undemocratic single party system.

In the sixty years since independence, only in the past nine years has Indonesia become a democratic nation. Indonesia is certainly facing teething problems as a young democracy but I am sure they will eventually become a dynamic and powerful economy given the vast resources they possess. There is much more freedom in secular Indonesia then in most countries and that should be cherished.

In the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos was a notorious and infamous dictator who raped, plundered and robbed his country and its people. He imposed martial law and banished all civil society movements, controlled the media and ruled by the gun. Remember the famous shoe collection of his wife Imelda and the lavish parties she threw during Marcos reign?

Remember the subsequent Philippines government's search for the looted money hidden in Swiss banks? For close to three decades, Marcos ruled that country with an iron fist and his people suffered in abject poverty.

This also led to the assassination of Benigno Aquino, Jr which eventually led to the people's power revolution that overthrew the Marcos regime and installed democracy.

Like his Indonesian counterpart, Marcos' family and cronies became wealthy beyond imagination and eventually the people rose against him after which he fled and died miserably in a foreign land.

It is also mind-boggling to note that the writer is unaware that the Philippines was supplying the world with cheap labour even during the Marcos era. Indonesia, too, was supplying Malaysia with cheap labour during Suharto's era.

So to equate the Marcos and Suharto regimes to the political situation in Malaysia is farfetched and the writer's ignorance of the historical past of these two countries is unbelievable. Does he want dictatorship in Malaysia?

Regarding Penanti, Fairus Khairuuddin made a gentleman's decision to resign from his high positions in the Penang state government. He deserves all the accolades for his courageous move in giving up the position of deputy chief minister and state assembly person.

Not only did he clear his good name but he has also came forward to support the new PKR candidate for the Penanti seat. How many such principled politicians are there in BN?

To the writer, let me say that political stability depends on a multiple of factors and not just one. There's no harm in anyone having ambitions to become a somebody in a democratic society like ours. If Anwar Ibrahim has such ambitions, I don't see anything wrong with that.

It takes two to tango, so goes the saying. Political stability can only be achieved if all players are responsible and act under fair and just rules. It cannot be achieved if there is no level playing field and fair rules.

Take a look at some mature democracies like the US and see for yourself whether they practice double-standards. During every election in Malaysia, see for yourself whether the oppositions is given enough space to contest freely.

The controlled media is out of reach of the opposition and I dread to read only pro-government propaganda.

Holding by-elections is not waste of taxpayers' money. It is part of the democratic process and our laws require that such elections be held whenever a vacancy exists. This is the cost for the rakyat to pay to choose their leaders, be they parliamentarians or assembly persons.

In most countries, even local authorities are elected by the people and tax money is used for such elections. Can we say that it is waste of public funds? So to say that it is a waste of taxpayers' money to hold by-elections is certainly farfetched and uncalled for.