Can Malaysia shelter from the tidal wave of true democracy?

Nations that propagated oppressive or suppressive laws (depending on which side of the political camp one belonged to), to keep citizens reined-in are being caught by surprise and uprisings overnight. Leaders who wielded the baton to keep revolts out of sight are finding their barricades falling apart.

By J. D. Lovrenciear

The world has only crossed the first decade lap in its run on the 21st century time-line circuit and already a tidal wave of true democracy and civil liberties is beginning to sweep across the earth.

The Glasnost took the world by surprise. But it did not end there.

The Berlin Wall collapsed. It was enough.

China rammed open its closed-door policy of decades under Mao Tze Dong's communism grip. And now there is even more.

Tunisia. Egypt. In fact even the Gulf States are sitting on the edge despite having a water-tight grip on the masses.

The truth is the tidal wave of true democracy and heightened civil liberties are indeed sweeping across the globe. In the wake of this new age liberation panacea, aided by the accelerating breakthrough Information Technology innovations and a East to West, North to South 'networked society', we are witnessing the gaining speed of a corrective action taking place worldwide.

Nations that propagated oppressive or suppressive laws (depending on which side of the political camp one belonged to), to keep citizens reined-in are being caught by surprise and uprisings overnight.

Leaders who wielded the baton to keep revolts out of sight are finding their barricades falling apart.

Those who took a Machiavellian route are discovering that they are becoming antiquated voices in the increasing deserted wilderness with passing time.

Today, the fight against corruption, lack of transparency and poor accountability has indeed gained momentum. These are also becoming the core issues in the re-awakening agenda of human society the world over.

What we are witnessing is a clarion call to 'return to society what rightfully belongs to all mankind'. This is a far cry from the centuries old practice of 'Give unto Caeser what belongs to Caeser'.

Closer home, Malaysia has been no exception. These past several years, the political climate has been heating up not gradually. Social order is going through a soul searching process.

Now the question is can Malaysia withstand the surge of true democracy and the clarion call for the re-institution of civil liberties in the world?

Perhaps the answer should be: It is not what we go through but what we will eventually become. Therein lies Malaysia's survival as the world over-hauls itself in this second decade of the 21st century.

The reality take is basically this: a country can have any number of increasing laws; it can erect any high fences to shut its people off; it can intensify the fear factor; it can silence protests arguing that it is in the public's interest. But all these are already failing across the globe in the face of the tidal wave of true democracy and civil liberties sweeping the world over.

Hence the sooner our leaders come to terms with this second Renaissance of humanity, the better the nation's chances of surging ahead with the tides of change. The proverbial 'frog in a well' or 'katak dibawah tempurung' mindset will only be a punishing and painful liability.