I refer to the Malaysiakini report Perak gov't collapses - BN claims power.

What happening in Perak right now is reminiscent of Sabah 1994. Betrayal of the people’s mandate at the highest order.

We, Sabahans remember this scenario well. The day when power corrupts absolutely, absolute power corrupts. And what do you know? The same party Umno is again the culprit.

Then Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) had just won the 1994 state elections with a slim majority of 25 seats against BN's 23 seats.

Pairin Kitingan had to wait for more than 36 hours outside the palace (Istana) gates before he was sworn in as the chief minister because of manouvering by Barisan Nasional leaders who could not accept the people's democratic verdict.

The fourth-term PBS government lasted only about two weeks before it was forced out of power through undemocratic manouverings by BN. Sabahans were aware of the carrots received by those PBS assemblypersons who defected to BN.

Some of these former PBS leaders also formed their own political parties. Having lost the majority in the Sabah state assembly, Pairin resigned as chief minister on March 17, 1994 before a shocked Malaysian public.

There were tears in his eyes when he made the announcement. It was unbelievable that a democratically-elected government lost power within days after a general election due to ‘party- hopping’ by dishonourable assemblypersons.

It was unprecedented as it happened for the first time on Malaysian soil. Thus Umno/BN succeeded after they failed to retain Sabah in 1985 having lost to the PBS in that year by a slim majority. Umno staged a coup d'etat of sorts right after the 1985 election but failed.

This was followed by a series of bombings in several districts, especially in Kota Kinabalu, aimed at pressuring the PBS government into an eventual collapse. Pairin thereon dissolved the state assembly and PBS won with a sound mandate.

But by now, Malaysians know who and what Umno/BN is all about. Power that corrupts absolutely. Having failed the first time, Umno/BN leaders repeated their shameful act in 1994 in Sabah and this time around the head of state, an Umno supporter, consented.

The head of state denied Pairin an audience and the latter waited for 36 hours at the Istana gates. The whole of Sabah was in a state of confusion.

As citizens who exercised our democratic right in the 1994 Sabah elections, we were at a loss for words to describe what had happened. To say that we were angry and frustrated are understatements.

Not when politicians are willing to go to the extremes to grab power and render the democratic system of electing a government of the people's choice, a blatant mockery.

Now, Umno has engineered the same treacherous scheme in Perak. All because it cannot accept defeat. Because they have no respect for the people's rights. Because their leaders are only self-interested power-crazy politicians who treat the rakyat 's mandate as nothing important.

It is high time that someone, some power, should stop all this power-crazy politicians or there will be no end to this heinous crime committed against the rakyat . Once the rakyat has spoken through the ballot box, it should be treated as a constitutional mandate.

No politician, no political party and not even sultans or head of states have the right to 'revoke' the rakyat 's mandate and allow defeated political parties to form a new government - especially after they overthrow a democratically-elected one.

If we cannot respect and uphold this democratic right of the people, then what's the point of holding elections?

If Umno/BN or even Pakatan Rakyat wants to form a government through the undemocratic means of buying and enticing rival representatives to make up the quota, then shame on them.

Let not the palaces condone this act of injustice committed against the rakyat and allow a change of government, a change to a government that the rakyat have rejected in the first place.

Umnoi/BN, Malaysians, more so those in Perak now, dare you to dissolve parliament and Perak legislative assembly and face the people fair and square.