By Mariam Mokhtar

Instead of engaging with the rakyat, Najib has ordered the city closed to NGOs and political reformists. He has conveniently flown to Europe, like a coward.

Malaysia’s leaders are afraid that the country will experience its own Tahrir Square. The Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is threatened by the Bersih demand for electoral reform and the rakyat has been energised.

Najib’s plans to outsmart Bersih have come to nothing. His idea to include the Agung in averting tension, has not endeared Najib to the public.

Najib’s co-conspirators have accused Bersih of a possible bloodbath. So called evidence has been planted to implicate Bersih in an uprising.

Several people in Malaysia, including social activists and opposition politicians, have been arrested and the government is now claiming that the ‘Bersih 2’ March for Democracy is being financed by foreign elements, with the intention of toppling the government.

The crisis is so deep that the government has declared that the wearing of yellow T-shirts is illegal, as it represents support for Bersih.

Hundreds of thousands of Malaysians are prepared to march peacefully to support clean and fair elections on 9th July. On that day, solidarity marches in America, Australia, London and Korea, will also be held.

After the first Bersih march in 2007, the performance of the Opposition at the 2008 general election saw them take over five of the thirteen Malaysian states and reduce the two-thirds majority of the government.

If Najib and the Election Commission have nothing to fear, why will they not engage with Bersih?

Western governments look away whilst the government of Malaysia declares the pro-democracy march illegal and the police arrest people wearing yellow T-shirts bearing the ‘Bersih 2’ logo and detain social activists and opposition politicians.

Umno / BN is in meltdown and reacting out of panic.

The Arab Spring in the middle-east managed to remove despotic and corrupt leaders from power. Encouraged by this show of public strength, Malaysians are determined to change their autocratic government.

No one in Malaysia is asking for a military intervention from the west, but there has been little international condemnation of Razak’s government.

The Obedient Wives Club is seen as more newsworthy than the corrupt and scandal ridden government of Malaysia.

This is probably because Malaysia is seen as a moderate Muslim country and so the west is courting Malaysia in the fight against Islamic terrorists and fundamentalist Muslim nations.

There are no suicide bombings or fighting in Malaysia, and western governments are prepared to turn a blind eye and ignore the injustices and human rights abuses of the Malaysian government towards its own people.

Perhaps the west sees Malaysia as a cheap source of much needed commodities like crude oil, timber and electrical components.

Malaysia is also a voracious purchaser of defence equipment and is eager to set-up twinning arrangements with British universities.

Furthermore, companies linked to the Malaysian government have made significant investments in real-estate in the United Kingdom.

Ever since independence was granted by the British in 1957, the Malays have held the upper hand in Malaysian politics, as agreed in the constitution.

Since the term of office held by Malaysia’s fourth Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, race and religion have been used as weapons to divide the people.

The non-Malays are not normally granted scholarships and places for them in the civil service and armed forces are limited. On the other hand, the Malays enjoy many privileges, including a generous subsidy when they buy houses. Malaysians of Chinese and Indian descent are termed illegal immigrants, and their contributions to the birth of the nation, overlooked.

In elections, there has been massive vote rigging, gerrymandering, abuse of postal votes and phantom voting including the buying and manipulation of votes. The Electoral Commission has not been able to discharge its duties and none of the complaints have been acted upon or investigated conscientiously.

The military budget increases annually but has not been spent wisely. Armed forces personnel, who speak in confidence, have expressed incredulity that millions have been squandered on military hardware from America, Britain, France and Russia, thus making maintenance and spare parts a logistical nightmare.

The purchase of three Scorpene submarines in 2002 has attracted international attention only because money politics and the murder of a Mongolian model were linked to the defence minister, Najib Abdul Razak, who is now Prime Minister.

Comparisons of the lavish spending, from the public purse by Razak and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, have been made with the former President of Tunisia, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali and his wife Leila.

Malaysians are aware that the west only sees the good side of the country; it has beautiful beaches and exotic food. Few foreigners know the ‘other’ Malaysia.

Bersih’s leaders have been subject to death threats and abuse. Many face arrest. The scale of panic and incredulity is such that even a poet laureate was brought in for questioning because of a few lines in one of his poems.

A circular was handed to the Malaysian students department in Adelaide, Australia, warning students that if they were to join the rally on 9th July, they would face severe punishments.

Malaysia is under siege from its own government and its citizens worldwide, are being threatened with reprisals if they support the call for democratic and electoral reform.

The rakyat is wholly behind Bersih and is prepared to defend their rights to proper governance, in a peaceful manner.

Najib on the other hand, is nowhere to be seen. Next week, the Pope should refuse to grant Najib an audience for running away from Malaysia and for abandoning her citizens at this crucial point in her history. The colour yellow suits Najib to a ‘T’.