The letter from former Bar Council president Yeo Yang Poh to the New Straits Times editor was spot on.

Reading the mainstream newspapers these days is fairly nauseating especially for those of us who have access to the alternative media and are able to witness the BN propaganda at work. The prime minister has made time to receive a memorandum from an unknown group called Damai, a coalition of 395 NGOs, who apparently represent the 1.5 million people who are against the public assembly of citizens. He refers to them as the ‘silent majority’ as he received 20 representatives in his office. Damai’s pledge is broadcast daily over RTM1 during the 8pm prime-time news.

Perhaps the tens of thousands assembling for two major rallies last month was not representative of the people. Perhaps, only in this country the ‘silent majority’ appreciates the right to not assemble peacefully. Perhaps only in this country, violence at public assemblies is blamed on unarmed participants rather than the armed security force preventing the citizenry from proceeding.

How much brain does one need to understand that perhaps there would not have been any violence if the police had allowed the assembly to go on? Why does a democratic nation have a law requiring a police permit if people wish to assemble in public? Were we, as a people including the BN government, supportive of the mass assemblies gathered to denounce the Iraq war in the entire developed world? Would that have been possible if those nations had laws like ours?

Of course the prime minister, notwithstanding the big eyes and ears he claims to have, and his deputy had the time to receive or act on the 1,000 over memorandums and letters sent by Hindraf over the last 10 years. They had a lot of time to demonise the group in the media over the last three weeks and as expected, achieved the objective of using the ISA. That they are now considering the views of some Indian NGOs is “closing the stable door when the horse has bolted.”

Elsewhere, the drivel written by Dr Chandra Muzaffar in the New Straits Times was akin to reading the views of a third-rate Umno politician. Among other things, he opines that public holidays for all ethnic festivals are an indicator of non-discrimination. How simplistic. Certain schools in the US have recognised minority festivals as valid reasons for leave.

Perhaps Chandra knows more about the discrimination levels in the US or otherwise, given his fixation with the Middle East. Thankfully, there is an eminent political scientist like Farish A Noor, whose views, understandably, do not get space in the newspapers of this democratic nation.

Quoting statistics without basis is the way of idiots. The mean household income is computed using total income of a community in the numerator and number of households for a community in the denominator. For simplicity, let's assume there are 10 households for the Indian community with the following income pattern [see chart].

Based on the aforementioned data, the mean household income would be $11,200. Even an imbecile would realise that it is not representative of a community where half the households are in poverty! To some extent, the median household income of the above distribution at $750 would be a more equitable representation. Unsurprisingly, the BN government never produces the median household income figure.

Further, household income does not take into consideration the fringe benefits enjoyed by the bumiputeras in education, housing, businesses and others. As the United Nations Development Programme alluded to, the highest instance of poverty is in East Malaysia.

It is vital that the household income figures for non-Malay bumiputeras be separated from Malay bumiputeras as the benefits of the NEP have largely flowed to the latter group. Even within the Malay community, the select group of billionaires and government-linked company heads linked to Umno would skew the community's household income figure.

For MIC to thank the government for dropping the attempted murder charges against the 31 participants of the Hindraf assembly has confirmed that nothing has changed within the BN. MIC is out to win popularity for doing next to nothing as the sole representative of the Indians.

Why frame those charges in the first place? As an appeasement for Umno? Where was MIC then? Enough with the BN melodrama. Since Pak Lah is fairly confident of the silent majority backing him, let us have the elections soonest.