The government must be prepared to listen

aliran

Dozens more have been detained today around the KLCC area in connection with a protest by the Coalition Against Inflation (Protes). Resorting to heavy-handed action to quell peaceful rallies is not the best solution.

All the rakyat want is a fair and incorruptible government. Tunku Yusuf Jewa urges the government to come to its senses before it plunges into a deeper mess - particularly when the general election is just around the corner and the voters have the power to decide who can win or lose.

I hope the public protests by NGOs and Opposition political parties that shook the city or Kuala Lumpur on Saturday 10 November 2007 will serve as a lesson and eye-opener for the BN government to realise that all is not well in this country.

The rakyat have good reasons to be unhappy. They have the right as citizens to voice out their grouses and grievances if Malaysia still claims to be a practising democracy. The government must be prepared to listen instead of brushing them aside as a nuisance and as trouble-makers.

Look what happened to Burma when the military regime tried to strangle its own people. They lost their voice and were beaten into submission, which eventually led to unhealthy outbursts. More...