I read with great interest the letter written by Thomas Lim ' Happy retirement, Dr M ' for two reasons:

One, its historical perspective is a useful analysis tool for the political dynamics of Malaysia and its top leaders; Two, its assessment of Dr Mahathir Mohamad is even-handed and generally fair.

In principle, I agree with Lim that all ISA detainees should be released and the political system be liberalised, although I must add that the release of all detainees must be immediate and unconditional, and that the liberalisation of the political system must not be too slow.

In addition, I also urge the unconditional release of Anwar Ibrahim and a total review of all the charges and judicial procedures conducted by a United Nations' Commission of Judicial Review. To be frank, I do not have any confidence in the Malaysian judiciary anymore after 1998.

As long as Anwar is believed by many Malaysians - and my whole family - to be a political prisoner and victim of Machiavellianism of the highest order, Pak Lah can never establish his political legitimacy outside a segment of the upper-class.

Without democratic contests for power, anyone who is up at the top is but forever a dishonourable usurper, pure and simple.

When the multiethnic masses have awakened, elitist lobbying for Pak Lah, Razaleigh or Musa is futile and a mere waste of time. On the ground, the rise of the Muslim masses have less to do with Wahabbism or whatever 'isms' in the minds of academics or theoreticians, than the simple demand for justice, fair play, mercy and compassion, freedom of speech, of assembly, movements and the press.

These vain talks about 'Wahabbism versus moderate Islam' appeal only to a very select group of intellectual elite who have time and money to think. To the ordinary people, all 'isms' are equally good if they serve the cause of justice, and equally bad if they are used as ideologies of authoritarianism that deny and suppress the human yearning for justice and freedom.

For example, semantically, I have no problem with 'Asian values' but when the so-called 'Asian values' are exploited in Malaysia as well as Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore to justify political detention without trials and other anti-democratic measures, I wholeheartedly support and embrace Western and American values.

It is simple and straightforward. As long as the rats are caught, it does not matter if the cat is black or white, it is a good cat. The rats in the context of Malaysia and Singapore, are authoritarian thoughts and actions.

It was like Lee Kuan Yew aligning with the communists in the 1950s to fight British colonialism: in Malaysia now, I will continue to vote even for PAS until all the necessary reforms and restitutions are put in place.