The Official Secrets Act is applied only to those that are weak enough to be applied upon. Mahathir and his cronies cannot be tried under OSA for any reason, say a malaysiakini reader.

Sickened Citizen: With the uproar and all the hullaboo about the 'crooked bridge' and the OSA's selective use by the government, all I can say to Malaysians is that you are all being hooked by the nose like the bull and cow, and taken for another ride on the merry-go-round of politics a la Malaysia!

OSA is applied only to those that are weak enough to be applied upon. Mahathir and his cronies cannot be tried under OSA for any reason, so Syed Hamid should just 'shut up' and go to sleep on this issue, because after a while Malaysians will soon get over this bridge fiasco just like all the other fiascos, and the absolute total waste of money projects that Malaysians have given the mandate to this government and all the previous governments to carry on with impunity by ensuring that the opposition parties are weak and 'uncountable' in our august Parliament.

Lee: As I have given my suggestion earlier that it is best that our PM table a motion in Parliament to abolish the OSA and get it approved. Then he can let the people who have the country at heart to expose the wrongdoing of the self-centred individuals including the ministers (past and present).

Mr PM can also get the AG's Chambers, police, ACA and other concerned authorities to start preparing for legal actions. However, all outstanding court cases should start now to show to the world that the government of the day is really serious about being clean, trustworthy and transparent.

Shufiyan Shukur: I am sick of this bridge issue. Can we cut it out? Crooked or straight. Lose or win. What does it all mean? It means our neighbour doesn't want to play ball with us, so screw it, let's not play ball with them. So Mukhriz, Sanusi, Mahathir, Syed Hamid, Kit Siang, and all you others, shut up! I want to get on with my life without reading about this darn bridge.

The World Cup's around the corner. So don't spoil my enjoyment of it because I might not live long enough to experience the next one. Besides why bother with a bridge. It'll only give the Singaporean armed forces a scenic route to Johor when they decide to over-run it. Which isn't such a ridiculous thought when you consider the possibility that reclamation may not be a viable option forever and ever.

And with Israel as its role model, and the US as its big daddy (well at least until US marines start raping its gals), Singapore is a military threat, so don't make it easy for them to cross over. Let their army suffer the current crossings and the wet straits - it gives an opportunity for our pot-bellied and lethargic army to take potshots before being completely overwhelmed.

Mikelim: It is just amazing to me that Matthias Chang can accuse Syed Hamid of incompetence and all sort of other names when the facts of the case show clearly that it is his former boss that is the real villain in this sordid episode and not Syed Hamid. For all his clever rhetoric, Matthias Chang has clearly demonstrated without a shadow of doubt that there was no agreement whatsoever between Malaysia and Singapore on the bridge, straight, crooked or what have you.

Yet his ex-boss has the audacity and foolhardiness to start work on the project. Is this not a waste of massive public money? If Mahathir thought he could bulldoze his way through Singapore, he must be the biggest fool that Malaysia has ever produced. He may even be leading Malaysia into a state of war with Singapore. I am so glad that he finally decided to retire as otherwise we will all be shivering in our pants over his profligate ways.

K Narayanasamy: The bridge is supposed to connect the two countries, and if that spirit is lost, then the legality of our action(s) becomes irrelevant. As good neighbours, we have to find some form of agreement before even embarking on any such project. A PM is supposed to make decisions for the citizens, and such decisions should not give rise to ill-feeling between the people of the two neighbouring countries.

The decision of the present PM seems to be the best, judging by the various issues that have been highlighted. An atmosphere of friendship between the countries will eventually allow a more cordial agreement. It is best that the former PM and his associates leave the present team to handle the matter as it thinks fit. Emotional outbursts from either side will only add fuel to the fire that is already raging... and it is not good for us in the long term.

The following are readers' comments responding to other reports. This one is on Ex-party leader's suicide attempt rattles SUPP

Chew Swee Yoke: I read with a heavy heart the report of the suicide attempt of SUPP's Song Swee Guan. I do not know him but if he is indeed untainted by corruption, he is a very rare breed of man, a dying breed in the political arena. Why was he a social leper when he should be proud that despite being a politician he was so clean that he could not pay his debts? What is wrong with our society that they have lost track of basic decent principles?

Okay, so he did not manage his finance brilliantly but society should have judged him in the right perspective within the tainted political arena. Did people not read the recent poll which put politicians on the low-life scale (the bottom) in Malaysian society?

The low-life politicians are of a different cut than Song, those are the immoral, corrupt and selfish ones who have lined their pockets with our tax money and caused an environment in which water is poisoned, air is toxic and fresh food products are dangerous to eat and everyday our friends and relatives and their friends and relatives are dying from cancer.

Enforcement of health measures is so poor because of corruption. There is injustice because there is corruption. People (mainly lower-income motorcyclists) are dying in accidents on the roads because of potholes left neglected as a result of corruption.

And a man who has served his country in a morally clean manner is treated like a social leper because he cannot pay his debts? This is not a country to bring up children if our social values and moral principles can be so upside down. Can someone in Keadilan start a fund to help bail out Song's financial problems? I would be the first to donate happily to save a moral warrior. I am sure there are other Malaysians who would be too happy to donate too.

On Ministry to probe caricature of Adam in book

A Christian Malaysian: The education minister has to be very careful as he may be stepping into sensitive areas. All Christian children for many decades have been attending Sunday schools, learning the biblical Genesis through story book form with colourful pictures of Adam and Eve printed in them.

Qingshihuang: Another issue with caricatures of the prophets again? It sounds like the Taliban is going to start burning books in school and public library - you know those that contain caricatures of Jesus, Moses, Adam, Abraham, etc, etc.

Stephen D Green: It seems to me that the Islamic faith is a fragile one without tolerance or flexibility. The great concern over cartoons, whether they are in the schools, newspapers or television or any other means of production are just that - 'caricatures'.

If the Islamic faith is so fragile that its teachers cannot trust its followers to know right from wrong in their own stead, then something is not right. The recent example is the concern of a caricature of a tree, of Adam, in a school book, which must now be scrutinised by the Education Ministry. What a total waste of time.

Malaysia will never spring forward as a society if held back by these archaic thought processes!