I refer to the Malaysiakini report Gridlock in KL as police mount roadblocks.

Are we living in a police state? Who's protecting who? The past few years have seen an intensifying presence of police around the country, particularly around our capital city, Kuala Lumpur.

This has become even more rampant of late, such that one begins to wonder if their ubiquitous presence is for the sake of the citizens or to protect the interests of certain politician- personalities. It boggles the mind as to who's protecting who?

Sadly, this increased police presence is not in vicinities of the many known hot spots to discourage criminals from playing a cat and mouse game with law enforcement officers, and their escalating petty but violent crimes.

Snatch thieves are blatantly targetting hapless and helpless ladies and even men, with sometimes very awful consequences. Cars are hijacked in bright daylight, outside one's homes even. Not all these are benign, and many fall prey to senseless gratuitous violence. A few victims have died, and many others have suffered grievous injuries including paralysis.

Handbags of pedestrians have to be clutched so tightly as if every passerby is a potential snatch thief. Yet, where are the police when you most desperately need their presence and assistance?

Few can truly feel safe even when walking around the vicinity of their own home or neighbourhood, so much so, that residents have banded together to employ their own security detail to protect their homes.

Gated communities and closed housing estates are now de rigeuer . Perhaps it would not be too long now, before we approach the level of armed auxiliary soldiers to guard almost all middle- class homes such as in Manila, Philippines.

It certainly makes a mockery of our safe neighbourhood concept, even more ironic for what has previously been touted as a peaceful country such as ours.

It appears that no one is safe. Recently one of my expatriate patients, a South American woman was molested as she went on her morning walk with a female friend. It appeared that a couple of full-helmeted men astride a motorbike circled around them a couple of times before attacking her.

The women managed to escape by running towards a group of construction workers nearby. However, the two molesters had the gall and audacity to come around again to taunt them despite the presence of other people!

You can imagine the emotional and psychological trauma suffered by these women. They were even too afraid to report to the police because sadly, they had residual fears of the police and military from their own country, which had for long decades been under military rule.

There, the police and the military are not recognised by most of the citizens as respected law enforcers – rather they are feared as intimidating thugs associated with corrupt right-wing dictatorships. Tens of thousands of suspected anti-government citizens had 'disappeared' during the previous military regimes of Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay.

Are we in danger of approaching such a state of despair? As Malaysians, we must pray and hope not, but we must also jealously guard against the soaring use of rule by law to execute and prosecute selective interpretations of the nation's statutes in a biased discriminatory manner.

Example: an accuser of sexual deviancy ( liwat ) is police-protected, whereas the accused is investigated, harassed and possibly to be charged soon; when such consensual mutual acts (even if true) are illegal for both. Skeptics now openly challenge the notion that justice is seen to be done, the way this issue is being conducted by our law enforcement agencies.

The more enlightened and modern amongst us would always feel piqued that such intimate bedroom affairs are the business of anyone but themselves. Worst of all, it appears conveniently timely, to resurrect the antiquated laws of homosexuality, just when the country's political stakes are reaching its most stridently plangent peak

If history is meant to be learnt, then clearly it has not succeeded in Malaysia, with our political mavericks. Ten years ago, such a political ploy failed miserably to convince not just the judiciary but the rakyat as well, that this tawdry accusation was anything but political assassination.

One can only hope that common sense will prevail, and that those involved will not push many exasperated Malaysians to the limits of tolerance, although recent unfolding events seem to be imply that the final denouement is still not yet played out.

Malaysians are also asking why are there such public displays of police-military collaboration and joint exercises taking place at this time? Why are even such joint exercises at public security control even contemplated?

Why indeed, if these are not in preparation for something more sinister? Could there be some devious plans being hatched, as preparation for some potential ‘worst-case scenarios’?

Hence, the worrisome rumours of emergency rule are being bandied about in the blogosphere. Clearly in this instance, I hope that this is all purely shadow play. Perhaps, the chief dalang master is trying to warn us to restrain ourselves. Perhaps we are not too subtly being forewarned not to test the limits and patience of the authorities, perhaps...

Thus, people are rightfully worried. Of course, we are concerned and do not hanker for such a terrible catastrophe to happen. But the signs do not augur well for peaceful resolution of the intense politicking that has erupted thus far.

Political instability has engulfed the nation, whether we like it or not. Our leadership seems to have been floundering about after the unprecedented loss of its two-thirds majority to rule without challenge. Crisis after crisis appears to be dogging the leadership, right from the moment of the five state loss on March 8 to the pathetically announced subsidy withdrawal and unprecedented sharp fuel price hike.

As concerned citizens, we urge our more enlightened leaders to recognise that we are edging towards a possible police and/or military state. That it would be a folly to accede to this for political expediency.

So whither can we go forward? Let's get back on track. Our police, our institutions must find their way back to regain the people's faith by being scrupulously fair, neutral and transparent in all its proceedings henceforth.

Politics must be left by the wayside in every police interaction with the public and/or partisan politicians. Only then can some semblance of justice be seen to be taking place, without fear or favour.

Only then, can perhaps the rakyat's perception be swayed to a more even keel of belief in our embattled and discredited institutions. Do we dare to be hopeful?