In this era of Information Technology (IT) and the Internet, physical distance does not matter anymore, and the closeness of events is experienced to more or less the same degree by most people, even though they may be thousands of miles apart.

This is perhaps the best way to sum up the reaction of most people in Kuching when the government decided to strike against opposition figures for planning to hold a gathering to mark jailed former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim's second year in prison.

The print and electronic media's failure to carry a full account of the reformasi group's visit to the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) headquarters to hand over the memorandum protesting, among other things, draconian laws, makes little difference.

There are alternatives they can turn to - like the many websites and foreign wire services available on the Internet, and Malaysia's own online newspaper malaysiakini .

The fact that the pics/crowd was so well behaved, not because a 400-strong police force was around but because no one had planned any trouble, gives the lie to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's claim that people were planning to throw molotov cocktails, or even bombs, at the rally.

For the reformasi activists to do so, they would have fallen exactly into the trap of those politicians who are desperately clinging to power in the face of what is evidently a serious erosion of public confidence and support.

According to a taxi driver here, it is as if the government has lost the moral support to go on.

But today's Asian politicians do not give up so easily. There is too much at stake. The talk in coffee-shops here invariably turns to the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) which houses a lot of contributors' money. And there is growing concern that someone is going to lay his hands on some more to bail out crony companies.

"Why couldn't they ask Halim Saad and his Time Engineering and Time dotCom Bhd to go and borrow the money from banks instead. Since it is said banks are flushed with money to lend?

Why use the nine million depositors' money and risk even lower returns?" one Sarawak-born KL-based engineer queried.

Power crazy

Exactly. Why use the Internal Security Act (ISA) against opposition leaders known for their anti- Mahathir views on the pretext they are going to use explosives and cause problems at a planned public gathering?

"Umno is Mahathir and everyone knows that. It is exactly for this reason that it is losing Malay support so quickly," said a Malay businessman aligned to Parti Keadilan.

But getting the police to make use of the ISA against people who disagree with your views, is indicative of the fears of those in the corridors of power, said another.

"As citizens of this country, we are of course concerned," he added, saying that power-crazy leaders have to be stopped before they could, advertently or otherwise, destroy the country.

A public sector employee concerned about the turn of events within Malaysia because of the recent ISA arrests, was thankful the opposition is as diverse a group as Barisan Nasional (BN), so it offers an alternative for the people to turn to in coming elections, if they find BN no longer deserves support.

"But people dread the idea of the ISA being used against political opponents because it provides for detention without trial. There could be similar actions in the future as a way to cripple the opposition like how the military regime operates in Burma."

Darker days

When a leader like Mahathir could say "be damned with international opinion" and that he would choose to ignore international norms to protect his own interest, it signals the beginning of darker days for Malaysia.

The United States administration is already contemplating on blacklisting the worst of democracies and after the latest development surrounding the ISA arrests, Malaysia could find itself on the list.

"It will be a very sad day if this were to happen," said a teacher.

The picture of Parti Keadilan president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail emerging from the Suhakam headquarters after presenting the memorandum together with leaders of other opposition parties, is to many a great inspiration that the opposition is no longer confined to one or two races.

"It is a credible alternative and that is why Umno and BN find it is so scary."

When the Gerakan party which is part of the ruling BN spoke out strongly against the ISA and the recent detention of opposition leaders, it is clear that even those within the ruling group are no longer afraid to speak out publicly.

"It is not to capitalise on a situation but an expression of a real and genuine concern at the abhorrence at some of the laws like ISA and the Emergency Ordinance (which allows detention without trial) and how most people feel about the high-handedness of today's leaders and the extent they would go due to fears of being toppled," the teacher said.

TONY THIEN is a freelance writer based in Kuching, Sarawak.