I refer to the Malaysiakini report Umno holds one-hour protest at Komtar .

I am in my 20s and began voting for the first time this year. I followed the issues raised by both sides before making my decision which party to support. For me, it was not about the individual but about having a voice in our Parliament to provide good balance to the powerful ruling party.

One thing which I am puzzled about is the unhappiness of certain groups with the intention of the Penang government to make have open tenders so as to ensure transparency. The state government says it will allow the public to know about tender applications, just like the JPJ allows us to know about tenders for special car numbers. This means that there can be no hanky- panky and that is obviously a good thing.

So why are there Malaysians who don't like such transparency? Do they have something to hide? Or is it that they want to prevent the public from becoming aware of unethical wheeling and dealing in the approval of tenders? Has this been going on before and now that such 'opportunities' will not be available, they instead protest against such a move for transparency?

I feel that everything, apart from those which relate to national security, should not be kept secret. By doing things in the open, it reduces the chance for anyone to make accusations of favouritism, cronyism, 'close one eye' and all those unacceptable and unfair practices. This is how a clean and transparent government should act and I commend the new states governments that want to have such practices.

Another thing which I also wish to ask is when is it a demonstration is 'acceptable' and when is it 'not part of our culture'? By saying that it is not part of our culture to demonstrate, then I am surprised that there are parties that do so and get away with it (even when they do not have any permit).

But then when certain other groups want to do so peacefully (as in the Bersih petition to the King), they are condemned by the government leaders. How is it the son-in-law of the PM can organise a demonstration against a foreign dignitary - an act his father-in-law says is 'not our culture - but he was not arrested?

I am becoming interested in politics now that I can vote but I am very confused by such matters which are contradictory. It seems to me that those labelled the 'opposition' before offer a more balanced form of government than the ones which have been in power for 50 years.