Alas, His Royal Highness comes to the rescue by issuing a decree and granting an audience to Bersih's representatives. This royal intervention is timely indeed so that the authorities can start to bring back some sanity to this whole sordid affair. The people are relieved that royal wisdom prevails.
Bersih 2.0 is just about legitimate electoral demands which are really quite reasonable in seeking free and fair elections. A strong government committed to democracy would never feel threatened by it. However, maybe the nation's top political leadership were ill advised or became callous, letting loose sledgehammer tactics by trying to stamp out anything that can be remotely connected to Bersih 2.0, activists, T-shirts, colours and symbols.
The relentless backlash was to be expected as any public relations disaster would in an open and interconnected world that we live in where thinking people cherish freedom, reason and level headedness. The mindless spree of detention and intimidation has to stop. Never again should repression and force be resorted to in a civil and peaceful protest.
Let the people go to the stadium safely, let them assemble in free association, let them wear their yellow shirts or whatever decent dress they wish proudly, release the detainees; it maybe a tiny victory but it is a Malaysian first.
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