YOURSAY 'It is only when the government is ruthless, corrupt and thieving that it has got to fear the likes of Haris Ibrahim.'
Haveagreatday: Mary O'Donovan has written an inspiring yet personal account of lawyer-cum-activist Haris Ibrahim. I had met Haris in person and I do agree with Mary's description of the man.
Most important, I am very happy to note that Mary believes this problem called Haris Ibrahim will not go away anytime soon for the Umnoputras.
Many of us who are rooting for change are looking to him to re-energise the push for change now that it is a given that the Umnoputras will hold the seat of power for the next five years.
Abasir: Those of us who know Haris will enthusiastically corroborate the views of the writer. He is both forthright and fearless, a man with a mission to bring this country back to its founding ideals and one whose principled leadership and self-sacrifice puts to shame all those posing as 'global moderates'.
I have the honour of knowing him, his brother and late sister-in-law and can declare that they, in word and deed, represent the best of Malaysians ... and who are epochs ahead of the pretenders and parasites who litter the corridors of power.
Yeoh Chee Weng: Haris Ibrahim, Raja Petra Kamarudin, Malik Imtiaz Sarwar and Mariam Mokhtar are the most well-known Malays who realised the pits that Umno Baru and the ‘Ketuanan Melayu' regime is driving Malaysia into.
Each of them has contributed much to the awakening of Malaysians, especially the younger Malay generation (those who care to read in English), that Umno Baru is a corrupt and racist regime.
We may not agree completely to all that they write, but none of us who commented harshly against them has even done a small fraction of what they have accomplished.
Think of the hardships and sacrifices that they must have face against the mob of Umno Baru supporters, and the armchair critics would soften their vitriol.
Mohican: So long as the government is clean, honest and trustworthy, it should not fear Haris or any other bogeyman. It is only when the government is ruthless, corrupt and thieving that it has got to fear the likes of Haris.
Boonpou: We are Malaysians, who cares if Haris is half-Malay or half-Indian? What matters is what he is fighting for - against racism, corruption and the injustices that are so prevailing in Malaysia.
Haris and many of us are trying to promote a Malaysia that transcend race, religion and even ideological divide. Let us all celebrate our differences without acceding to racial and religious hatred.
Look at Malaysia now. It is full of such divisive hatred. What has become of us, especially in the last year or two when Umno realised it is fighting a losing battle.
Umno has been increasing its propaganda to divide us by race and religion. I must say PAS is just as bad. There can only be a brighter Malaysia for us and our children - one devoid of racial and religious bigotry.
Harapanbaru: Thank you, Mary. Haris, I bet, will be embarrassed by your warm and wonderful messianic portraiture of him. But these are dark days indeed, and nothing short of a spiritual sea change in consciousness will guide us back on track.
Swipenter: If ever the Umno Baru government was to accommodate the demands of Malaysians, they would not stand a poor chance of retaining power.
Nothing is fair and equal in our country. All they want is to corner wealth and political power for themselves mainly through corruption, connivance and the use draconian laws and strong-arm tactics.
Hardly anyone believes he/she can get justice in our courts anymore, especially if it involves politicians, their friends and family members, and the politically well-connected.
Indeed, Umno Baru is the biggest threat to our national security, our national sovereignty and national unity.
It is the only political party possibly in the world today that deliberately sets out to divide its people through official and unofficial policies.
Paul Warren: This is a spot on view of Haris. Developing from a mild SABM (Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia) through MCLM (Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement) and now ABU (Anything But Umno), I suppose a learning process can be seen through this man's journey through all of them.
When the soft approach of SABM was not tough and fast enough, he moved on to MCLM. But when there was a "sell out" there, it was inevitable that a more focused, robust and harder stand had to be taken. So ABU came along.
For everyone's own good, let us hope that he only needs to go so far as ABU before the aim is attained.
MockingYou: We must not let Haris down because he drew the government's flak upon himself thereby freeing many more potential Haris in the making to make every vote counts.
Remember the climax of the movie ‘V for Vendetta'? Well, let the Guy Fawkes mask be our colourless faces.
Goh Pick Ting: Will all of you follow him - make the necessary sacrifices and save Malaysia?
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