The arrest of Malaysian citizens under the ISA, is apparently intended by the government to supposedly pre-empt the deteriorating law and order situation in the country from becoming worse, and thereby to ensure that political stability will continue to prevail.

Indeed, one might even go so far, as being the Devil’s Advocate, in saying that by using the ISA the government can in fact implicitly and explicitly claim that by so doing, it is contributing towards nation-building. In other words, the suppression of popular dissent from time to time is seen as a positive move to reinforce the status quo.

This is obviously not the place to test this highly questionable and ‘simplistic’ hypothesis at best. Rather, what seems more important now is to ask the more basic question "law and order for whom?"

While there is no doubt that upholding law and order is fundamental to the very survival of the nation itself, and accordingly involves all citizens, at the same time serious attention needs to be given to the social reality that such legislation also selectively enables the protection of the vested interests of the ruling classes, themselves against the rakyat.

Any concerned student of social history of the class-based ethnic stratified race relations in the multi-cultural society as we have here in Malaysia, cannot fail to understand that on the basis of the substantial well documented internationally recognised published academic and professional literature that as a result, the social conflict model is endemic to the pattern of intra-ethnic and inter-ethnic relations among Malaysians.

Therefore, the element of protest among the people against the ‘powers that be’ that unfairly monopolises the usurpation and administration of political power in the creation of an unjust society must be seen as a positive move and encouraged by the government as an integral part of nation-building.

This position has now been amply endorsed by the International Academic community. Blackwell (Oxford) has invited me to contribute the Malaysian Chapter for the World Wide Encyclopedia on Protest and Revolution in Developing Countries that will be published in January 2009.

The informal ‘brief’ clearly asserts that this contribution is based on my book "The Finest Hour: Malaysian -MCP Peace Accord in Perspective’

The Editor confirms that this source was the only analysis among the entire published record from the pre-colonial period to the present day that convincingly argues that protest and revolution among all the people of Malaysia contributed towards the attainment of political independence and peace that we now enjoy.

The ISA is not the way to nation building.