Just as history is written by victors, stories are told by those in power especially those who control the media. Yesterday in court, the attorney-general who was personally prosecuting the lawyers and activists who walked for human rights repeatedly used the phrase “larger interest of the public”. He was attempting to persuade the court to deny bail on the basis that the freedom of these people would undermine the so-called “larger interest of the public”.

I wonder what he meant by that. In my opinion, the public will greatly value not only peace and prosperity but also justice and freedom. In any case, the peace and prosperity of Malaysia has been held ransom by Umno in the last few decades of tyranny and corruption. If we look at the bigger picture, we will see that if we had a government that genuinely respected human rights and upheld justice, there would be greater stability and investments for economic development.

The fact remains that the lawyers and activists who walked for human rights on Sunday were marching peacefully in the larger interest of the public. However, the Umno government, through their obedient police force (not the people’s) tried to create a fiction that the lawyers and activists were causing havoc.

Here’s another fact for consideration. The police could have easily kept public order by directing traffic around a relatively small group of people who planned a 15-minute walk. It would have required 50 police officers at most. But to create Umno’s story, the police sent hundreds of officers to create a tense situation and scare people. The police even sent a helicopter, which flew menacingly overhead throughout the time. A visitor unfamiliar with the antics of the Malaysian police would have thought that there was a mob of parang -wielding natives running amok in town.

Later, the prime minister tries to perpetuate another fiction - that he is a gentle and caring father figure concerned for the public’s safety. According to a Malaysiakini report, he said that he has police intelligence of violent intentions. As far as I am concerned, the police have not shown any intelligence at all.

It is very easy to say that there are violent intentions or even terrorist links when they have control of the media, but are there any real evidence? If the government and the authorities want the people’s respect and trust, they ought to be truthful. After all, we know that justice can only be upheld when truth prevails.