To require all undergraduates, civil servants, academicians and cabinet ministers to sign the 'Aku janji' pledging 'loyalty' to 'the government' shows that the Barisan Nasional is not confident, and perhaps, even desperate (Compulsory for cabinet ministers to pledge loyalty: PM, Jan 28).

Moreover, there is already the legal and constitutional General Order or Perintah Am to govern the conduct of the government employees, including ministers and academicians in the public-funded universities. Signing the Aku janji could be challenged in court as ultra vires.

It could even be argued that it would be an illegal contract signed under duress, threats and undue influence, given the widespread use of the Internal Security Act.

However, for those who sign it or have signed it, it does not mean they cannot criticise Umno, MCA, MIC, Gerakan and other parties that now form the government.

Pledging loyalty to the government does not mean pledging loyalty or support to the ruling parties. The reason is simple. The government could be made up of BN or Barisan Alternatif. The government is just a structure of public administrative power, while political parties are competing to fill into the structure. So, even for those who have signed to pledge loyalty to the structure of public administrative power, they still can, legally and with clear conscience, vote for BA so that it can be the manager of the structure of public administrative power.

Indeed, as I can foresee, the very act of forcing undergraduates, academics and government servants to sign pledges will cause more of them to vote against BN and for BA. Changing BN with BA does not mean we are disloyal to the government as the structure of public administrative power. As citizens and taxpayers, we are entitled to be 'disloyal' to Umno, MCA, MIC and Gerakan, etc., as political parties.

The secularly conceptual distinction between the government and ruling parties should be made clear in our search for secular modernity.