I know that many people are afraid of confrontation and the possibility of violence... the fear of the unknown... the fear of disrupting our lives... Some have argued on the futility of Bersih rallies... but they are wrong... because the groundswell is growing ever bigger and more powerful... the world and yes, even our detractors, our intimidators are listening and they fear us more than we, them!

There are enough naysayers who believe that being placid and non-provocative is the safest path in our humdrum lives... just pray for karma, divine intervention and trust in our own spiritual supreme being, our god, and the inherent ‘goodness’ of our leaders... vote them out at the next elections if we disagree with their wayward governance, we say... stay the peace, don’t provoke the unknown, the possible retribution...

But this would be the easy way out, the cowardly ‘safe’ way out, I would dare say! History has amply shown why staying apathetic in the face of great wrongs and evil is not the option for beneficial social change...

People power has more often than not shown the forceful exit of dictators and autocrats... (sometimes sooner but occasionally later even after much hardship and bloodshed). But we owe it to ourselves and our children to reclaim our stake in a righteous cause and be part of it.

We cannot afford to sit by as history pass us by... we must have the gumption to be morally and physically brave and courageous to play each of our part as a collective current to sweep away these political leeches who are shamelessly corrupting, pillaging and impoverishing our beloved nation and our limited resources.

Our shrinking ringgit is emblematic of the discontent and the sharp devolution of our once-great nation now gone rogue and at the verge of bankruptcy and default! We can’t stand idly by as we slide down the increasingly slippery steep slope of a possible failed state!

Don’t let the bullying detractors of true democracy derail us from our righteous cause! It behooves each and everyone of us who love this nation to stand up and be counted! As playwright and social activist Kee Thuan Chye has earnestly posited, if not now, when; if not us, then who?

Robert Kennedy had expressed this most poignantly: “Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”

Jom Bersih 4! Let's rally and walk for a better Malaysia for all Malaysians, for our dignity, our future and those of our children and our children’s children!