COMMENT | Supposing you stay in Petaling Jaya, Selangor and want to ride your kap chai to Kuala Lumpur to tah pau (pack) your favourite mee goreng in Bangsar or siew yuk in Taman Kok Doh or Tiger Jeet’s chappati along Jalan San Peng. What would you have to do?

You would have to fill up a form in duplicate (complete personal particulars with vehicle registration number) and submit it for the consideration of the police officer at the nearest police station. Your application to cross districts to buy food will be rejected and if you are lucky, you may escape suffering the ignominy of being chided and chastised by the mata mata at the balai (police station).

Judging from news reports, things may be different if you have a prefix to your name or had given the tail number of your private helicopter instead. No, don’t get me wrong and I am not complimenting the police for their competence. Neither am I pre-judging the police.

I am merely putting the facts on the table as I do not want to be accused of “improper use of network facilities” – the “cover all” clause in the Communications and Multimedia Act to prosecute anything and everything said or written on cyberspace...