COMMENT Amidst the frenzy of draconian measures to prevent the July 9 Bersih rally from taking place, many Malaysians have begun to wonder: Has Malaysia descended into a state of lawlessness?

No sooner had the home minister declared that wearing the yellow Bersih T-shirt was illegal, the Inspector General of Police upped the ante by announcing that even "shoes, cars, buses or any medium that promote the Bersih rally are illegal, as this amounts to sedition", and he said the people involved will be arrested.

To date, more than a hundred people have been arrested all over the country in the past four days, mainly for wearing the yellow Bersih shirts.