Police chief Bakri Omar came under intense fire from our readers for justifying the violence unleashed by his men against protestors on Sunday.

Prebet Cabuk: Bakri, give me full powers, just for one weekend, on a day when a demonstration is organised - minus the political interference. I will prove to you and the world that none of the so-called self-defence violence is necessary!

Silent Majority: The IGP knows exactly what happened between his men and the protesting public. Shame on the IGP. You have lost all my respect.

Dhammika: It is very natural for the IGP to justify his officers' action. This is one way to boost their moral so that they can keep on being more brutal without good reasons. Peaceful demonstration means non-violence.

From the video clips, it clearly showed that the police charged on the demonstrators even though they were dispersing. I hope Amnesty International, NGOs and other bodies including the media - both local and overseas - be at future demonstrations as witnesses in court proceedings. Suhakam must be there too to see that no rights are infringed by the use of force.

Shuf Shukur: I say! Was the demonstration and subsequent actions of the brutal FRU a hoax? It's not reported in the local media (haven't read anything on it in print), nor the BBC, which used to be rather attentive to stuff like this.

The following are comments from our readers in reaction to other reports. This one is on Power hike: How the other half lives

Benny Lee: Once again, I think our "beloved" DPM will come up with a statement to again change our lifestyle. We are going backwards. The government wants us to live on trees again. Prices are increasing and I can feel the wires being put around my neck by the government, slowly tightening, and I am a middle-income earner.

How the heck can someone live with a RM43 electricity and below? Don't the government also know that the increase in electricity price will have a domino effect on other prices like food? So who says that those who use electricity will not be affected... they will indirectly. There goes the smiling mamak stall owner.

Why can't TNB (Tenaga Nasional Berhad) slash their overpaid senior staffs to save more cost. Do we really need these people since TNB is a monopoly? What have they done to make their business more efficient? How can a monopoly have billions in debts? Isn't it time to change the people who manage the company?

Instead, they still want to pay these fat asses in those big fat chair and office with a big fat salary, at the expense of the rakyat.

I give up... the rakyat have no say in anything. My next vote will definitely not go the current government in the next elections - if I am still a rakyat. Nothing good has come up from this government - hardship and more hardship for the rakyat, amidst the growing economy. Wawasan 2020 is only for the rich and famous. The rest will be living in trees without electricity, without transport.

When is the next anti-price increase rally? I am joining...

On the Mahathir interview

Parallel Point Of View: In your recent interview with TDM (Tun Dr Mahathir), he mentioned the government's venture into Perwaja was right but it was the mismanagement of the steel company that cause its colossal losses, and he cannot be looking over their shoulders all the time. In the West, the minister has to take responsible by resigning.

On a similar vein, why are shopping complexes owners haul to court if their tenants are found guilty of selling pirated DVDs? They, too, cannot be looking over their shoulders all the time.

Badruddin: I think Dr Mahathir is the biggest hypocrite I know among Malaysian politicians. He tried to impress the Muslim world, which does not accept him. Just look at the OIC, they don't like him at all.

He have made his cronies and son very, very rich. Take for example, Malaysian Airlines when he bought back the shares from Tajudin Ramli. The government made a loss but the deal benefitted Tajudin and his gang, who empty MAS coffers but they were not charged during Mahathir's tenure.

I feel he should shut up and try not to be so arrogant.

On 'Nehi' clip: Tamil dailies at war

KSN: I have absolutely no interest in Malaysian politics, especially MIC politics because I believe, it stinks. My interest is purely academic as a citizen and limited to what I hear, read and see. The other day I watched YB Samy on TV3 - he was completely not in control of himself.

He said that Subra (I have no sympathy for him either) has stabbed him in the back and undermined his position, I suppose, in MIC. Generalising that way can be done by any fool and that sort of statement cannot, and should not, fool any one except those hanging around Samy. He should give specific examples of Subra's doings that Samy is accusing him of. From what I read, Subra denies Samy's accusations completely. Who can we trust?

Samy's preoccupation for the last 22 years, as long as he has been MIC president and cabinet minister, and Subra has been the deputy president for the same period, was to get rid of Subra from MIC. No wonder, during the same long period of 22 years of sleeping in the cabinet, purportedly to look after Indian interests, by his own admission he could not achieve anything, finally accusing his 'good friend' of not keeping his promises and responsibilities to the Indian community in Malaysia. What a leader!

We all know that the MIC deputy president's contest is a proxy fight by Samy, and Subra's chances, according to the pundits, is slim. If against all odds, if Subra wins, is it not gentlemanly for Samy to resign from MIC and the cabinet? Any man with an iota of decency and pride will do that. Will Samy? Whether he is around or not will not make any difference to anybody, least of all to the Indians except himself and his cronies.