The government has repeatedly said that Malaysia should be a first world nation with a first world mentality. I respectfully submit that this first world mentality must extend to also inhabit our approach to democracy and human rights. Taking the moral high ground in these matters requires that we ourselves be properly grounded in high moral values. If not, we are no better than Burma, and we would have forfeited our right to criticise.

People's Volunteer Corps (Rela) director-general Zaidon Asmuni should acknowledge that his organisation is becoming a monster that he himself cannot control. His defence of the behaviour of his men and women in the recent episodes involving the Indonesian diplomat's wife and the university student Mohammad Yunus Labis' (unrelated events, I must hasten to add), is not only pathetic but only serves to further embolden the Rela members to continue their marauding ways.

Their atrocious conduct towards migrant workers in the past has been widely reported in the press, roundly criticised by many concerned citizens and stoutly defended by Zaidon . Now Rela seems to have taken on a new role as custodians of public morality.

Of what concern is it to them if an allegedly unmarried man and woman were living in the same house? Would they next get agitated about two unmarried men or women living in the same house considering that there would be a morality issue involved as well?There are much more important things in our society they could expand their energy and resources on, and leave morality to God.

Please, Rela, just mind your own business, and Zaidon please get your people to behave themselves and stop making excuses for them. We all make mistakes, but some of us are man (or woman) enough to admit it when a mistake has been made, while the others try to justify what is unjust.