In the aftermath of the March 8 general elections last year, DAP, PKR and PAS came together to established a coalition named Pakatan Rakyat to govern five states namely Kedah, Penang, Perak, Selangor and Kelantan which they won over in the said poll.

It was most unfortunate that after the five Pakatan state governments started functioning, the federal government, which is still dominated by Umno but without a two-thirds majority in Parliament, started and continues its political offensive nationwide against Pakatan in order to curb their rising influence and popularity amongst our people.

Security forces under the jurisdiction of the Home Ministry are widely being used and mobilised nationwide by Umno to watch and control the increasing activities of Pakatan component parties via restrictions, banning of ‘ceramah’, withdrawal of earlier permits given, massive arrest of supporters, issuing threats and so on.

Besides, Umno is also trying to win back the hearts of the Malay community by stirring up racial sentiments and tensions, promoting hatred and creating chaos in a number of Pakatan-ruled states.

First, a massive illegal rally was organised by Umno in Penang to protest against plans outlined by the DAP-led state government to implement an open tender system which encourages competency, accountability and transparency.

Then Umno created havoc and racial tensions in Selangor by alleging that a state executive councilor had instigated the people to protest against two mosques’ call to prayer. As a result, the state executive councilor was detained by the Umno-inspired police force and put under a so-called ISA detention.

It was an Umno leader by the name of Dr Mohd Khir Toyo who had stirred up the racial and religious tensions in hope that there will be a riot in the state thus allowing the federal government to declare emergency rule in the state and to have the military called in to take over the state administration from the Pakatan state government.

Third, the then Penang Umno Bukit Bendera division chief Ahmad Ismail again stirred up racial tensions in Penang by calling Chinese Malaysians squatters and ‘temporary residents’ of this country.

Umno leaders in Penang ran wild and even called for a journalist who reported the matter to be executed by shooting because she reported the truth. The police could not take action against these Umno racists due to the fact of the supremacist position that Umno leaders enjoy in this country. This is really frustrating.

In Perak, the Umno leaders successfully engineered a coup d’etat that toppled the Pakatan state government after they enticed two of its state executive councilors and the state assembly deputy speaker to jump ship.

In aftermath of the rebellion, Umno established a rebel state government to take over the Perak state administration. The Umno rebel government also used its newly acquired powers to seal off the Perak state legislative assembly building to prevent the state assembly from convening its meeting thus resulting in a sitting being held under a tree outside the state legislative building.

Police and paramilitary personnel were dispatched in a number of regiments and battalions to prevent Pakatan leaders from entering the Perak state legislative assembly building and the state secretariat. Apart from that, the Umno-led security forces had also surrounded the sultan’s palace in Kuala Kangsar in order to prevent any Pakatan leaders from seeking an audience with His Royal Highness to explain the actual situation.

Then later, the Pakatan’s Perak state assembly speaker was ousted in another coup d’etat engineered by Umno in an unconstitutional manner and he was replaced by a strange man who was not even a state assemblyperson.

And when the speaker tried to resist his coup plotters, the Umno rebels called in their security forces and had him forcefully removed and dragged out from his chambers and locked in a dark room for few hours before he was released.

These security men did not act professionally nor constitutionally but were rather politically pro-Umno against the Pakatan state government leaders in order to maintain their livelihood.

These policemen really have no choice. They are all under the jurisdiction of the Home Ministry whose minister is a vice-president of Umno, the dominant party of the BN coalition. And if they resist their political masters, what will they get in return? Everyone knows.

From here, you can clearly see that even though Pakatan Rakyat is governing some states, they are completely defenseless against the mighty institutions of the Umno-dominated federal government like the police force, the military, the paramilitary forces, the Prisons Department, the judiciary, the MACC and the mainstream media.

It is very clear that the Pakatan state governments have nothing to defend themselves with against any onslaught from the Umno-led federal government and their powerful institutions. What if Umno decides one day that they have had enough of all the Pakatan state governments, and decides to declare a state of emergency in these states to forcefully take over the governance of these states with the police and military forces mobilised into action on their behalf?

What can the Pakatan state governments do then? Just sit there and watch their administrations being toppled like that? Is there any other choice? Mobilise their supporters and members to protest against the Umno-dominated police and military forces?

This would not help much as it may somehow result in bloodshed or massive deaths among our people.

Therefore, it is extremely important that the Pakatan leaders seriously consider the option of establishing their own security forces and we stress that a Pakatan-led security force is essential to creating a balance of power with the Umno-led security forces.

This is to ensure the stability, security and the safety of their people are maintained in the respective states. Today Perak. Selangor and Kedah might be next.

The writer is secretary, DAP Bagan Jermal.