In the recent week, Nathaniel Tan, a Malaysian blogger was arrested by the Malaysian authorities. He is accused of having committed an offence under the Official Secrets Act (OSA).

His arrest makes me think, yet again, of the struggle for the people to voice their opinions in Malaysia.

Yes, I agree that freedom of speech goes hand-in-hand with responsibility. As such, being responsible individuals who are concerned about our country Malaysia, we don't simply believe everything we read - be it the mainstream media, the alternative media, blogs, or other sources.

I, as well as majority of the people that I know, try to obtain our information and news from a few sources in order to triangulate the information, and think about it, weigh the issue and discuss it with friends before forming our opinion. We then try to act upon it in a responsible manner where necessary. That, I feel, is our responsibility as citizens of Malaysia.

As such, to limit alternative views from being presented to the Malaysian citizen - this is tantamount to curbing our curiosity, preventing dialogue and thus keeping us from contributing to the development of Malaysia.

It seems in Malaysia, the authorities often take the convenient way out and blame the people for the myriad of problems and struggles being faced by the country in its strive for fully developed status. What the authorities fail to see is that perhaps the most constructive approach towards development is to permit and encourage grievances and complaints and the exchange of ideas and talents from every level of the society. This creates a sense of combined ownership and responsibility to the people as well as with the government to ensure the wholesome progress of the country.

The arrest of Nathaniel Tan is an act of disrespect by the authorities for the intellectual capabilities of the Malaysian general public to discern what is right or wrong or what needs further discussion, investigations and action.

It is another evidence of the lack of restraint by the authorities.

It is another blow to democracy in Malaysia.