I refer to the Malaysiakini report The political rape of Elizabeth Wong.

The recent turn of events have left many reeling in shock as they take umbrage to Elizabeth Wong's offer to quit her state cabinet post and state assembly seat following her nude photographs controversy.

A look at the many web pages can tell us the extent to which the masses are reacting to the situation. Some have called for her resignation whilst many more have appealed to her to persevere even in the light of such challenges.

Yet, how many of us can truly empathise with her? We can never know the trauma that she is going through because each of us has a different emotional and psychological make-up. Her party and supporters have a different frame of reference from that of her opponents whilst whoever released those pictures had another.

I am not here to moralise or to speculate about who is right or wrong or to justify my stand on the issue but I wish to appeal to those who are ready to throw stones and brickbats at her to consider her psyche as she weaves her way into the eye of the hurricane.

Why did she offer to resign? There could be a million reasons but for what it is worth, my heart goes out to her and prays that no matter how dark the day, she will ride through this storm victoriously and emerge a stronger person to look back and know that despite the pain and anguish, this was a character-building experience and she will know now who are her allies and her foes.

In the midst of such uncertainties, Wong was with groups of people at different times of the day and they all were doing or saying something different to her. Imagine her discomfort. Imagine how she had to cope with her feelings, her hurt, her disappointment and simultaneously have to grapple with the unspoken pressure of going along with the rest of the group?

Personally, I wonder if her decision stemmed from her own heart or if she conformed to pressure or opinion, be it real or imaginary.

The need for conformity is the desire to go along with the norms of a group of people and often times, from my observation, it can be so strong and we bow to it in order to be accepted as an in-group person (and not rejected as an out-group, undesirable person).

Sadly, many of us, if not all, are tribal animals, which leads us to have a deep need to belong to a group of some sort. Conforming to group norms is a signal to the other group members that 'I am like you. I am following our rules. I am not a threat.'

This signal allows other people to predict what that person will do. It is also a step along the way to increasing his/her esteem within the group. Wong, however, does not need to do all that because her supporters hold her in high esteem no matter what.

Elizabeth Wong should not, must not, and need not resign.

Plain and simple. The rakyat elected her to be their representative and they should be the ones to demand her resignation and from what I can see in the masses, this is not the case. Instead, so many have appealed and begged for her to reconsider her decision and I am doing likewise here.

There is no need for her to make such a decision because her constituents accept her, love her and respect her. We all know it is a gross invasion of her privacy and if her conscience is clear and I am sure it is, then why conform to public pressure to resign?

Different groups have different norms or rules to which group members conform to. This can be to do with behavior, attitude, dress, language, etc. The degree to which other people conform to the rules indicates their desire to be a group member. In this case, Wong is a respected, committed and dedicated member of PKR and has been true to her constituents.

Dear reader, any in-group member who conforms strongly is normally a core group member who needs to assert the identity of the group, or could be a peripheral member who is trying to impress the core members, perhaps to be accepted into the 'inner circle' (which is, in fact, another group-within-the-group).

Further out, people outside the group may similarly emulate group members either to seek admission to the group or to form an admiring group who are seeking to gain some reflected glory. One example are pop fans who dress like their idols. Wong is not in this category and I strongly believe that she must be strong, fight it out and to remain true to the rakyat who put their faith, trust and hope in her for their constituency.

Wong, I appeal to you. Please think of the rakyat. Forgive the person who did this to you. Forgive those who condemned you. I am not going to blame any party or person for this tragedy. What has happened has happened. God only knows why. We are all not in a position to point accusing fingers or to speculate as to the true intention of this situation.

But one thing is clear, Wong. We need people like you, women like you who can serve the rakyat. Please do not fulfil the agenda of whoever intended to bring you down. You have more gumption and courage than this..

There is strength from within yourself and you are stronger than you know. The resilience and fortitude is there - you just have to search for it and find it within yourself. The initial shock will weaken you but take a step back, look at the situation for what it is objectively, put aside your emotions and realise the calling that God has given you to serve Malaysians and perhaps then, you can have a better picture.

I know you will ride out this storm, Wong. You can, you will and you shall overcome! May God be with you as you go through the darkest moments of your life but you will come forth shining like gold!

On behalf of your supporters, I just want to say, we love you, we believe in you and are well aware of your integrity and commitment. So forget about conformity and all the brouhaha over nudity!