The Road to Dictatorship - Malaysia

The writing is on the walls...

First, the concentration of power to one group of people, first UMNO/BN and then the Prime Minister's family.

Then the concentration of wealth and hence power to the powerful and rich, notably UMNO/Barisan cliques.

There has been a series of stupid, discriminating and 'kuku besi' style laws that increase the hold of the powerful over the masses.

And dissent and debate is discouraged and punishable by law.

And now people are not allowed to walk from Dataran Merdeka to Istana Negara to present their signatures to the King.

WELCOME TO MALAYSIA - YOU ARE ENTERING A COUNTRY THAT IS MOVING TOWARDS DICTATORSHIP.

There are examples from around the world, which I am sure that the 'power that be' are quick to learn.

Fiji, Pakistan, Iraq during Saddam, Algeria, Tunisia...

Today, Saturday 10th November could be the day that changed the written history of our country.

BERSIH wants to hold a rally to present petition to the King, but Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi wants none of it.

What would happen? After all, the police has started mounting roadblocks around KL as reported by Malaysiakini.

Let say that today BERSIH would managed to garner 100,000 people to converge in Dataran Merdeka, let say they all somehow managed to slip pass police roadblock and turn up at Dataran Merdeka.
Would the police and FRU come on hard on their own people?

Let say they do, and a few people lost their lives in the process...
Story from Myanmar is just fresh in our memories just a months ago.

Let say the police changed their stance and join the people instead, march along with the people and present the petition to the King.
Which I secretly hope they would.
That remind me of Georgia less than a year ago.