Transitions blogger Oon Yeoh's defence against charges of hypocrisy doesn't hold water.

To recap, he criticises Malaysian students in the United States for demonstrating against some of that country's policies, and effectively tells them, "If you criticise any aspect of that country, get out."

He then goes o­n to say that as a Malaysian voter, he is free to criticise Malaysia, but that a foreign non-voter resident in Malaysia has no such right. I trust that is an accurate summation of his views.

And that is the big distinction, according to him. Poppycock.

How does the validity of o­ne's views change just because of where they live or where they are from?

Of course a non-voting Mat Salleh living in KL has every right to be heard o­n Malaysian issues, just as a Malaysian living in the US has a right to be heard o­n American issues.

Oon's is o­ne of the flimsiest justifications I have ever read for shutting up people who disagree with an ostensibly intelligent writer. It smacks of "love it or leave it" jingoism, which is never associated with reasoned debate.