“If they will play fair I will play fair, but if they won't then I reserve all my rights to do anything I find myself able to do.”

― William Howard Taft

COMMENT | Actually, this is not “an” answer. Hopefully, this is “the” answer.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak asked, “How does Pakatan (Harapan) explain and justify this, other than saying the only important thing is to oust the prime minister and it does not matter how it is done?"

The most important point I want to make is this - you and anyone from BN do not get to ask this question.

1. You do not get to ask this question because the system is rigged in your favour.

2. You do not get to ask this question because our public institutions are compromised.

3. You do not get to ask this question because our state security apparatus is beholden to a political party.

4. You do not get to ask this question because your propagandists are the mainstream press.

5. You do not get to ask this question because of your gerrymandering of the electoral boundaries.

6. You do not get to ask this question because the opposition has to fight with one hand tied behind its back when it comes to race and religion.

7. You do not get to ask this question because as veteran Umno leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (photo) acknowledged – (a) “(Bagaimanapun) jangan memandang rendah kepada kerajaan kerana mereka ada kuasa, ada televisyen, radio, duit dan media. Mereka juga ada alat-alat risikan dan sebagainya. Media dia lebih tahu pada kita. Dia tahu kita belum tahu lagi. Sama ada dengan kekuasaan itu, parti yang berkuasa akan kalah saya tidak tahu.”

And (b) “Dalam isu wang, pilihan raya perlukan (wang). Suka atau tidak suka, itu tidak menjadi masalah curah duit banyak macam mana. Semua orang nak menang pilihan raya. Tidak ada nak bertanding hendak kalah.”

This last part is even more insidious because you use our money to rub our faces in your “ketuanan” politics. You use our money to fund your rigged game. You use our money to destroy the chance of legitimately having regime change.

For all these reasons, you do not get to ask this question. When you have a flunky making police reports that the former prime minister wants to overthrow the government, any rational person would understand this is why the current government has to go. Many people would like to overthrow the government and I will wager that if we take away those reasons as to why you cannot ask this question, the Umno regime would have ended a couple of years ago.

Always remember that when it comes to justice and fair play in this country, one is only corrupt when they leave Umno. Most Malaysians understand this. Sometimes, I think the best definition of what it means to be “Malaysian” is understanding that the game is rigged but going along with it...