Moderation is being articulated loudly and clearly in recent times. The 25 proponents of moderation augmented by hundreds of ‘I am #26' supporters have vocalised in laudable terms the concept of moderation in an ever increasing climate of extremism in the country.

The Star has devoted full-page coverage of prominent personalities with their quotable quotes. It is very encouraging to see and hear their gallant efforts at awakening the silent majority to speak up against extremism.

Their words echo and re-echo the deep sentiments dormant in most of us. The quotations, after a while, tend to repeat themselves. They become preachy to the choir that is not hearing anything new. The vocal temperature is rising and they have started sounding like a lot of hot air.

In my humble opinion, we have heard enough of moderation and look to its sequel in ‘moderaction’. By that, I mean it is time for action. It is time for the, now no longer silent, majority to push the powers that be into action to reign in the extremists in our society.

It is for the lawmakers to streamline the laws, for the enforcement bodies to move into action and apprehend the extremists, for the defenders of the law in our courts to make fair judgments and mete out appropriate punishments to silence the extremists and remove their terrorising threats and the buck, of course, stops with the prime minister.

Public action cannot stop at the ballot box. Public spaces need to be occupied with no room for the extremists. We must move on from moderation to moderaction.

If this does not happen, if the extremists are not brought to heel, then the words I have written, too, are no more than the sound of the gong and the clanging of symbols.