Dr Jacob George certainly has the right to free speech not only in the mainstream media, but also in malaysiakini . However, has he ever thought why so many equally intelligent, qualified and knowledgeable Malaysians are not welcome to contribute their views in the mainstream media just because they are critical of the Barisan Nasional government? Why is the BN government so afraid of liberalising the licencing policy of the media?

Of course, if the writer still wishes to defend the BN government, he could assert that only the pro-government elites like him are intellectually qualified and morally authoritative in the mainstream media, while all opposition leaders, members and supporters, as well as other liberal and independent critics of the BN government are not.

On the other hand, the total absence of serious critics appearing in the mainstream media could only be attributed to feudal arbitrariness and repression, which must be fought against politically and ideologically as the Fathers of American Independence and the philosophers of the French Revolution did against the decadent, corrupt, tyrannical and narcissistic ruling elites of their time. Modern liberalism must prevail over pre-modern feudalism.

If a self-styled Malaysian elite living in the 21st century and the knowledge age still cannot distinguish conceptually the nation (Federation of Malaysia) from the government of the day (Barisan Nasional), can we hope to achieve progress and modernity beyond shouting patriotic slogans, or using Western capital and knowledge and Indonesian, Burmese and Bangladeshi cheap labour to build the tallest, largest and longest structures.

Indeed, the pro-government elites in Malaysia are both tragic and comical. Despite their educated smartness, they seriously lack moral quality of patience to listen to, or accept alternative views.

Despite their outward and contrived calm (for socialisation), their hearts are secretly teeming with all kinds of imaginary fear, deep inferiority complexes and chronic insecurity as the results of long exposure to BN's dark propaganda. Most of them are also narcissistically and neurotically arrogant, a psychological defect of those who suffer from intellectual, cultural and spiritual inferiority complexes.

Unable to compete in the global marketplace of goods, services and ideas, the pro-government elites in Malaysia thus repress the weak and bully the poor domestically to satisfy their inflated ego. It is very sick, and needs psychological therapy on a massive scale in the form of de-Nazification after the defeat of Nazi Germany or de-Stalinisation after the death of that devilish dictator.