'It brought about a unity among the races which we had never been seen before. If ever there was such thing as 1Malaysia, we saw it on Saturday.'

Ambiga: Never any intention to topple BN

Quigonbond: The government's resistance to entertain Bersih 2.0's demands is an unambiguous sign that they do not believe nor want free and fair elections. If we were to have one, BN would fall.

Consider this - Singapore reformed its electoral process and immediately it lost five percent of the popular vote. BN was already at the brink in 2008 with just 53 percent of the popular vote.

A five percent swing would ensure its demise from federal power. The only way out for PM Najib Razak is to enact other meaningful reforms so that Malaysians could perhaps place electoral reforms as secondary importance again.

Remove the inspector-general of police and deputy inspector-general for their intransigence. Get rid of our current attorney-general, especially. Start elevating the people's judges to higher office in the judiciary, not Umno sycophants.

Revamp the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). Boot out the current Election Commission chief who has failed to win the confidence of the public. Rein in more big fishes in corruption cases. Remove all false charges against opposition leaders. Have open tender. All these changes would make a difference.

Sarawakian_3ff9: Many of us did not, and still do not, understand Najib's knee-jerk reaction. Had he allowed the march to go on and stepped back, the march would have been a non-event.

But who's complaining anyway? BN's stupidity was a God-send. Who could have asked for a better situation? It brought about a unity among the races which we had never been seen before. If ever there was such thing as 1Malaysia, we saw it on Saturday.

Not in Najib's wildest dream, I dare say, would he have imagined what occurred on July 9. Eat your heart out, Apco Worldwide.

Anonymous_3f35: Will the BN government read the writing on the wall? No, Ambiga, they won't. Since they lost some seats and states, all BN has been saying is that they lost the perception war.

This word "perception" is now a BN mantra, as if by a wave of some magic wand they can paint a different perception and win all the votes come next election. Some public relations firms have sold this mantra to BN and the likes of Najib, Chua Soi Lek and G Palanivel. The altars in their houses are made up of nothing but that word "perception".

Can someone point out to them that doing the right things is what eventually matters and counts, not merely "perception"?

Alan Goh: S Ambiga is still hopeful that the government will change. Keep on hoping, Ambiga. Since 1981, after which corruption became the order of the day under the guise of the New Economic Policy, Umnoputras can make millions on a willing-buyer and willing-seller business strategy, getting contracts and sub-letting for a hefty commission without soiling their hands, what can change?

Until the cow comes home, nothing can change unless clean PAS/Pakatan Rakyat leaders take over Putrajaya. That is why, Umno/BN fears a ‘bersih' and fair elections.

Fellow Malaysian: Ambiga is taking a middle stand and a conciliatory path in expressing her views and opinion regarding the aftermath of post-709, a no-nonsense and transparent assessment of why the rakyat turned out in such huge numbers despite terrible threats of persecutions, arrests and other acts of suppression.

This woman has just shown the old hats almost overnight occasion just how slick she could be. Otherwise, Wall Street Journal would not have bothered to look her up.

Anonymous: We hope Ambiga will stay focused and neutral. Only then will there be credibility for Bersih. She rightfully remarked she will not stand for any political post in the next election. That is a good move. She must be clear on her role and principles. Only then will she be a formidable force and no politician can tear her down.

Despite what the mainstream media say and what BN wants to believe, it was indeed a victory for Bersih last Saturday. The way the situation was handled by the government helped the fence-sitters make a stand.

Sh: Would a corrupt government and its leaders elected via a bias and manipulated election system be willing to have clean elections, risk getting overthrown and prosecuted for their wrongdoings? No.

But at least we have managed to send a clear message to the BN government that times have changed and they can't get away as easily as before.

Charles Hector: Toppling the government is very different from voting out the BN from government. But for Najib and BN, they try to confuse us into thinking they are one and the same.

All opposition parties will campaign for BN to be 'kicked out' by the voters come next election - and this cannot be taken to be actions to topple the government. Calling for the resignation of Najib as the PM is certainly a democratic right of Malaysians, but our government is trying to make us feel that is ‘anti-national'.

In a democracy, it is very common, and from time to time, people do ask for their PM (or president) to step down. There is nothing wrong with that. There is a Facebook page calling for Najib to resign , so Najib and BN maybe could start another campaign to lobby support for himself to remain as PM.

Even during Dr Mahathir Mohamad's rule, there were times that people wanted him to go - but he never made a 'big deal' out of it, did he? When his popularity sank, he went to the people to lobby support.

Najib, too, should think about doing things to get the people's support - maybe set a minimum wage law now, stop prices from rising, stop depriving people of freedom of assembly and expression. Maybe then, Najib's popularity may improve.

Poppyie: Good governance does not materialise and does not come from one person, one party or one government. It must come from a mixture of many governmental organisations, non-governmental organisations, ruling and non-ruling political parties, international organisations and, last but not least, the emerging yet powerful social networks on the Web.

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