Even before the first voter had cast his vote, Anwar Ibrahim had won the Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat. Even before the first voter cast his vote, the Umno-backed candidate lost in his challenge to Anwar Ibrahim.

Money, material rewards and threats do not work anymore especially if it comes from Umno, for this Umno has lost its integrity, it has lost its right to rule and it has lost sight of its mission.

The Malays who were supposed to own and control thirty percent of the economy in accordance with the New Economic Policy managed more than thirty per cent but only that this huge thirty per cent went into the pockets of a few selected elite of Umno bigwigs leaving the ordinary Malays with little or nothing. A huge part of that loot is parked overseas, it went out in RM1,000 bills too.

Umno was largely successful in urbanising the Malay but improving his livelihood temporarily only as many urban Malays 'own' cars, houses, and other capital goods with huge debts. Anwar realised all this during his days as a deputy prime minister.

He not only confronted the issue but he demanded that Dr Mahathir Mohamad step down, and in retaliation Mahathir, who had been hatching a plot against him for a long time, decided to act and in so doing got him charged with sodomy and used a corrupt judiciary to ensure his conviction.

To Mahathir the ends justified the means. Mahathir was so convincing that most people - including me - believed him and even now when the truth is out he has still got the gall to hurl accusation after accusation at Anwar.

The government has to be wary of the patience of the people for we can't lie here and take things standing as though nothing is happening.

We have a will, we need a just and free society and this government hasn't in the past and never will in th future give it to us. But we also realise that freedom lies in our hands and not in what is dished out to us.

With this result from Permatang Pauh, the rakyat celebrates, they celebrate a new Merdeka.