The Gallup International poll of 1,250 participants has concluded that 74 percent of Malaysians feel that elections are free and fair and a staggering 88 percent are satisfied with the level of democracy in the country. Of course, the prime minister was elated with the results of this poll. This, amongst other factors, will help him decide when to call the general elections.

Assuming Gallup's poll was representative, these findings beg two conclusions. The vast majority of Malaysians are completely ignorant of the nefarious subtleties of the regime that has ruled for 50 years or they have lost their sense of justice.

Consider the following elements of our “free and fair” elections and level of democracy. The election date is the sole prerogative of the prime minister who assesses the “feel-good factors” for his party unlike true democracies where the date is fixed in advance lest the opposition be taken by surprise. The concept of a caretaker government is alien in this country.

When Parliament is dissolved, BN politicians would be seen in the media officiating various projects and making good of their empty promises in the previous election. They make full use of public funds as the caretaker government. The print and visual media are entirely controlled by Barisan Nasional. Printing and publications must be licensed by the Internal Security Ministry. If not for the Internet, websites like Malaysiakini would not exist rendering alternative news an impossibility.

The Merdeka constitution has been amended almost 50 times in the past 50 years thanks to the two-thirds majority held by BN in parliament. The social contract, that Umno loves to use in defence of the NEP, is the federal constitution as it stands today. Rightly, the social contract should refer to the original Merdeka constitution that came into being on Aug 27, 1957. The jus soli principle for granting citizenship was a key right availed to the immigrant communities in exchange for Malay special rights. Jus soli is no longer applicable. One wonders what MIC and MCA were doing when all these happened right under their noses.

There have been inconsistent rules for the delineation of electoral constituencies. Constituencies with a historically large number of BN supporters are divided into smaller areas creating more seats in the legislature for BN. Similarly, traditional opposition constituencies are merged with other non-opposition areas to dilute the votes of the original constituency. With all these monkeying around with constituencies, there are some MPs representing just 15,000 people whereas other MPs may be representing 50,000 people. As a result, BN controls 90 percent of parliamentary seats despite having obtained a popular vote of only 64 percent.

Key institutions that provide a semblance of balance to the powers of the executive have been compromised. Its office bearers are directly chosen by the government such as the anti-corruption agency and the judiciary. The speaker in Parliament is noted for not allowing any motions moved by the opposition to be discussed. Freedom of assembly and expression enshrined in the constitution is a joke unless you are an Umno member. The Police Act requires that a permit be obtained if five or more people wish to assemble in public. Don't forget to obtain one for your family outing in future!

The registration of political parties under the Societies Act is impeded by ridiculous requirements unless the organisation is sympathetic towards BN. Barisan backbenchers are not allowed to put forth views contrary to Umno or the government’s views. This is probably the worst manifestation of fascism in the democratic world. If elected representatives can't speak without fear, what more ordinary citizens?

It appears that Bersih has lots more to do towards enlightening citizens of the regime. Perhaps they should localise their activities and organise talks and workshops throughout the country. May I remind that these be done indoors lest they are deemed a terrorist organisation. Nonetheless, having it indoors is not a foolproof safeguard as evidenced in the Article 11 roadshow and Apcet conference fiascos where real terrorist groups descended upon the participants.