Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is now the prime minister of Malaysia, head of Barisan Nasional (BN) and the leader of Umno. After 22 years, Dr Mahathir Mohamad has stepped down from these positions. But, we must not forget that we are still under the BN government.

Many Malaysians are celebrating, as though there has been a change in the ruling party, as though Badawi is from some other party that has just come into power. Memoranda containing expectations of change have been sent. Forums and public discussions are being held. Many are hoping for great changes in the policies and practice of the BN government.

We are only kidding ourselves. The same persons and political parties are still in power. The BN still controls more than two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat thus having the capacity to amend our Federal Constitution as and when it chooses.

Mahathir cannot and should not be held solely responsible for all the actions and omissions of the BN government. Mahathir cannot be held responsible for all those detentions without trials and for all those repressive laws that curtail freedoms and deprive the fullest expression of our rights.

He was just one man, and Badawi was in the cabinet as the deputy prime minister together with many others. To say that because Mahathir was at the helm, all the others were shackled, tongue- tied and deprived of the ability to dissent, is a joke.

The responsibility for all the actions and omissions under Mahathir's premiership must be borne by all the members of the cabinet, all the members of Umno, all the members of BN component parties, and of course, all Malaysians out there who continued to vote in the BN into power over the years.

Some say that Mahathir was a dictator and that, therefore, all those in the executive, cabinet, Umno supreme council and BN component parties had no choice but to be silent and comply with whatever he said and endorse whatever he did or failed to do even though they personally may not have agreed with it.

This is ludicrous and totally unacceptable. We do not live in a feudal state, whereby all subjects have no choice but to follow what the King says. We are a democracy and I believe that when decisions are made in cabinet, Umno supreme council and BN, each and every member has the right to dissent and ultimately has the right to vote on any matter of concern. The PM, I believe, does not have the power to veto decisions of the majority.

The BN government should be given a pat on the back for all that it has done well, and its leaders blamed for all bad deeds. Remember the Nuremberg trials, which found those persons in government and other positions of leadership under Hitler guilty for crimes against humanity? Hitler was the leader, but that did not exempt others from being found guilty for the crimes against humanity during World War II it did not matter whether they were following orders or not.

Likewise in the Malaysian context, each and every person, the first being Badawi himself, is guilty of all the fumbles, wrongdoings, failings, inadequacies, injustices and violations against human rights committed during Mahathir's tenure as prime minister.

Gerakan, a major BN component party, did at one time, if memory does not fail me, adopt a position that the Internal Security Act (ISA) was unjust and that the ISA should be repealed, even though it was contrary to the position of the government. Now, today, I am not sure of what their position is with regard to the ISA and other preventive detention laws.

Rais Yatim, when he was out of cabinet and a practising lawyer, took the position that the ISA should be repealed, but after he joined cabinet, he changed his position. Why did he change his mind? If it was after serious re-thinking and evaluation, then it is all right, but if the change was merely because he is now part of the cabinet, then it is wrong. When he is no more in cabinet or in the government, will he again have a change of mind with regard the ISA?

Our 'leaders' - both ministers and members of Parliament - must realise that we are all human beings, each with a brain, a mind, a conscience and a tongue, and entitled to have a different viewpoint on matters. If one is part of the cabinet, and cabinet has made a decision about a particular matter, then that decision must be upheld and followed. At the same time, one can also still have a personal position.

The stand taken by Gerakan once, if not still, is praiseworthy. In a democracy, the majority decision is carried out and implemented, but the minority dissenting view is never silenced. The minority has the right to continue lobbying their views if it believes this to be right. For one day, it may be this 'minority view' that prevails.

It is sad that in Malaysia, we do not often enough read of BN MPs taking a view different from that of the government or even the prime minister. BN still rules. There is no real reason to celebrate the departure of Mahathir, who by the way, was not ousted but left of his own accord handing over the premiership to his deputy, Badawi.

If a new political party or a coalition of parties comes into power, then there may be a reason to send memoranda and recommendations to the new government and prime minister but not in this case.