OBVIOUSLY, the Kuala Lumpur Rally organised by the Pakatan Rakyat at Stadium Merdeka on Saturday was a successful democratic exercise. Although the promised one million attending did not materialise, the turnout, though a small fraction of it, was still large enough to demonstrate how freedom of assembly and speech can be achieved peacefully…. Unfortunately, some parents, either because of ignorance or inclination, broke the law by taking children to the rally. If ignorance is the cause, then the organisers should have made it clear that this is illegal. Or, were the children intended as some kind of ‘shield’?

However, and far more disturbing, is the threat issued by the leader of the opposition, Anwar Ibrahim, to unseat an elected Barisan Nasional (BN) government should Pakatan deem that there was rigging at the next general election. This threat, for what else can it be, should not have been issued as it undeniably reflects a negative intention and an irresponsibility unbecoming of a wannabe prime minister. One wonders, if not caught red-handed, on what basis Pakatan can come to a conclusion that the Election Commission has been compromised and is partial to BN? …

Secondly, Anwar’s track record makes a threat perception credible. Only recently, he invited the Australian government to interfere in Malaysia’s domestic affairs by requesting for an election watchdog. The response from the Australian foreign minister clearly shows that Anwar was unreasonable, to say the least. It is disturbing to watch these antics by the leader of the parliamentary opposition.

Therefore, when electoral reforms are in place and transparency at the coming polls is assured, Anwar’s statement at the rally is nothing less than dangerous. He may have felt obliged to play to the gallery, but he did it such that the average person is driven to see him as power crazy.—(Jan 14)