I very recently had a discussion with an ambassador to Malaysia, representing one of the Mid-East countries. He commented that the crime rate in Malaysia is alarming and that if something is not done to arrest the growing crime-rate, we would, over a matter of time, see a drastic reduction in the income generated from tourism as tourists will avoid Malaysia.

He also commented on the high-rate of snatch thefts that have left tourists stranded without their passports and other belongings. He lamented that there seems to be little law-enforcement in Malaysia.

Not too long after hearing these comments, I was trapped in a massive traffic jam whilst returning from Kajang to KL at about 9.30pm last Saturday. Thousands of motorists were forced to inch their way forward kilometre by kilometre that night. A journey that ordinarily would have taken me no more than 5 to 7 minutes, took me about 40 minutes.

Thinking there may have been an accident further up or some ongoing road works, I inched my way forward only to eventually find that the police had set up a roadblock closing off two lanes of the three-lane highway. On reaching the roadblock I found that the policemen on duty were not even bothered to look at or into the cars but were busy chatting amongst themselves.

It was then that one of my passengers remarked that the roadblock must have been put up to dissuade the public from attending a supposed demonstration at Parliament on Monday. This was confirmed in the newspapers.

The following questions come to mind:

Are the police not aware that we, the public, pay their salaries and are therefore their employers? How dare they inconvenience and cause misery to their employers and waste our time and petrol? Is it not about time that we, the public, remind the police force that they are employed to serve us and not their political masters?

Do the police think that we employ them to annoy us? Do they think that their salary is halal if they take our money and then act against our interests? If a demonstration is in fact to be held on July 14, what was the necessity to set up a roadblock so early, on July 12, if not to inconvenience the public?

And what was the purpose of the roadblock if the policemen manning it do not even look at the vehicles passing by? Was the idea behind the roadblock to cause the public to get mad at the supposed organisers of the supposed demonstration?

Are the authorities, including our leaders, so divorced from reality that they do not realise that such acts merely make the public mad at the authorities themselves, including the police, and not the so-called organisers of the demonstration?

Are the police not aware that they should be dealing with the increasing crime rate in the country rather than annoying the public? Are the police not aware that their usual excuse that they are short-handed in dealing with crime is a mockery if they can deploy scores of policemen at roadblocks to inconvenience the public rather than to deal with criminals who seem to be having a gala time?

As for the government leaders who ordered the roadblocks, are they so dumb that they think this is the way to win the hearts of the public? Do they not think that this will only harden the resolve of the public to have a change of government?

Before this, I was of the mind that Pakatan Rakyat should accept the general election results of March 8 and just aim to govern the five states under their control the best they can and wait for the next general elections for their chance.

Now, however, I do not think the rakyat should put up with a government that does not have their interests in mind and that if it is possible, Pakatan Rakyat should go for it and attempt a change of government as soon as possible.

We, the rakyat , certainly deserve better than to be governed by the bunch of simians we now have. And with a change of government, let us hope that the police and other government agencies will be taught that they are here to serve us and that we are their rightful employers.