I’d like to respond to John Malott’s most recent article entitled ‘Has Malaysia become a police state?’ and point out the shortcomings in it.

First, in his declaring that everyone has been silent about Najib Abdul Razak’s abuse of power, he asks, “Where are the sultans? They also are supposed to be the defenders of the nation. Yet we only know, indirectly, the views of the Sultan of Johor and his son. The others are silent...”

Surely, Malott must be aware that our system is that of a constitutional monarchy, which does not allow for royalty to intervene in political matters. And goading them on to do so would be creating a fresh problem. I hope his question was rhetorical.

Second, he unfairly devalues the worth of the Bersih movement by writing, “The leaders of Bersih 4 and others who think that street demonstrations will force him (Najib) to resign are naive. He already has shown that he has no hesitation to turn tear gas and billy clubs on his own people. That is what they will face on Aug 29.”

Of course, a rally will not cause the regime to collapse immediately. Thinking that would be naive, and Bersih’s leaders certainly don’t think that. But staging a rally to express public feelings about what Najib is doing is certainly better than doing nothing, isn’t it?

After all, as Malott writes in the very next paragraph, “I can only weep when I think of Malaysia’s future, when one man is able to subvert the institutions of government and thwart the will of the people. And when the great majority of the Malaysian people, from former leaders to the man in the street, stand by silently, and let him do it.”

Malott clearly contradicts himself. Bersih and the people who support it are trying to stand up and speak up instead of standing by silently, and yet he pooh-poohs their effort?

I recommend that he - and all Malaysians  read instead the article by Thomas Fann in The Malaysian Insider , entitled ‘What have Bersih rallies achieved so far?’

I hope that if he does, the American might understand better the situation on the ground in Malaysia.

I also hope Malaysians will not be influenced by the defeatist stance in his flawed article. I hope they will not be frightened by his prediction of what Bersih rally participants “will face on Aug 29”.

He can “only weep”; Malaysians, on the other hand, can fight the good fight.