I refer to the Malaysiakini report Fatwa Council under fire for banning yoga .

For many Malaysians both male and female, Britain’s Barclay's Premier League (BPL) is an unofficial religion. This can be evidenced by:

  • the half-naked David Beckham Armani posters or shirtless Cristiano Ronaldo posters on the bedroom walls of adoring Malaysian teenage fans;

  • widespread purchase and proud display of BPL team jerseys and related merchandise;

  • the obsessive desire to create ‘I Love You’ banners for favourite BPL team and players;

  • passionate BPL match-day fan rituals such as whooping loudly, pumping fists in the air and giving each other high-fives when the team they support scores;

  • related BPL gambling activities that use secret code words like ‘half-ball, lah’, ‘bookie open now’ and ‘Torres 4/1 to score first’;

  • Neurotic behaviour such as nervous nail-biting, cursing and moaning, table-banging, and bi-polar mood swings alternating between ecstacy and agony.

    • Sounds unhealthy, doesn't it? Are Malaysian fans of Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and all the other BPL teams going to be banned from watching BPL soon?

    Will Astro be banned from televising BPL matches in Malaysia? After all, this obsession bordering on fanaticism can't be good for Malaysians, right?

    Where does the insanity end?

    The point is, if we see our leaders doing corrupt or senseless things - implementing laws and policies that push our self-actualisation backwards to the Jurassic age - we need to speak up and say ‘Hell, no you don't’.

    We need to pressure our MPs to be proactive in protecting the rights and freedoms guaranteed to all Malaysians in our federal constitution.

    The fact is, Malaysians are democratic pioneers. Whatever we do, the whole of South-East Asia looks to us for guidance and leadership. Singaporeans look to us. The Burmese look to us. The Indonesians and Thais look to us.

    We, the Malaysian rakyat , have a moral responsibility to lead our regional brothers and sisters, whether we like it or not.

    It's a big responsibility, but as Malaysians we can do it. We have come this far. We can turn back the tide of Mahathirism.

    We can bring back true freedom and democracy for our loved ones, for the Malaysian Rakyat, for the people of South-East Asia – for the world.

    So speak up, Malaysia. If you see the Mahathirismos doing corrupt, evil things, tell them loud and clear: ‘Hell, no you don't’.