Enough has been said from both ends. Now, we need action from every responsible citizen and we shall start with the very basic right granted to us as Malaysian.

Life, as we have been in conditioned in Malaysia, is to accept that there's little point in standing up against injustice because the ruling authority has a lot more power and resources eg, in the form of ISA and the Sedition Act - to come down hard on anyone who dares to speak up. Many treasure the paucity of freedom given, citing stability and example of how past dissidents were treated. It is not worthwhile to fight. The 'Fear Campaign' it seems, has always worked well.

Going all out trying to suppress and silence dissidents with various laws and cover-ups will not work. If our BN leaders have been just and fair, there's no reason to object so vehemently to any accusation but to provide evidence to the contrary. It is not necessary to get so provoked to the extent that actions and positions are questioned.

When the people ask questions, mature-thinking and wise leaders are expected to have dialogues explaining the government's position in a calm manner. Not bark the same old clich of 'sensitivities' for certain topics. Making it a taboo subject for discussion would be self-deluding and living in denial.

We do not need leaders trying to employ a 'Wag The Dog' strategy such as brandishing a ritual dagger and threatening pogroms, doing so to de-emphasise hard-pressing issues such as graft, a rising crime rate and the dwindling of foreign investments.

The race and religion cards have been deployed all these years. We must not allow them to be used against us anymore. When we are divided, we are conquered. When we are conquered, apathy and fear are all that are left on our plate.

Alas, how parochial our leaders are for there's a greater war outside this country. When the country's economy goes down, we all will go down, regardless of who your grandfather is, what colour your skin is, what God you pray to and what language you speak.

Every person born in Malaysia is Malaysian regardless of ancestry. This is the place we call home. Is asking for equal rights too much to ask? Is asking for abolishment of discrimination too much? Are we all not in the same boat called Malaysia?

The people have lived under unreasonable policies long enough; a 50-year-old country by all means is mature enough to welcome feedback from her citizens. Instead, we are still questioning our identity, are polarised and barely assimilated. What's the difference between our pre and post-colonial eras? Just a change of masters?

The time is certainly ripe for a major change in Malaysia's political scene. The billion ringgit question is - have we gathered enough steam to have the critical numbers to make it happen? Or will the majority of the disgruntled continue to speak behind curtains and whine and bellyache at coffee shops, blogs and online forums?

Perhaps we needed to be reminded that we, the people, are the ones who elected the leaders to their positions. And we, the people, certainly have the power to replace non-performer(s). The leaders are answerable to the people, not the reverse as many of us have been hoodwinked into believing. We can't afford to have leaders that can't be reasoned with anymore.

There's no need to overthrow the ruling party, a new party taking over will likely create chaos. What we really need is a healthy number of the opposition to keep the ruling party in check. A clear message is to be sent. The people can't tolerate promises not kept and can no longer tolerate policies analogous to apartheid.