“A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.”

- Edward Abbey

In a two-part interview, Hakam president Ambiga Sreenevasan discusses the recent Citizen’s Declaration, articulates the need to reach out and move beyond partisan rhetoric and makes it very clear that the struggle for a just Malaysia is journey that everyone needs to make.

She is a passionate advocate for reform but does not allow polemics to get in the way of reasoned discourse.

We often hear from people who oppose the policies of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. However, there are people who support him and his policies. How do you reconcile the progressive agendas of civil society and the underlying ideology of the former prime minister and those who support him, including ordinary citizens?

The progressive agenda of civil society will never change. Neither will the events of the past which has led us to our current situation.

Members of civil society and I have spent so many years of our lives fighting this government for the problems that have resulted in the current crisis we are facing. (Social activists) Maria (Chin)’s husband and Hisham (Rais) were held under the ISA. Why did we (including Cynthia Gabriel) choose to sign this Citizens’ Declaration?

The rallying point is that the country is on the brink of destruction and something has to be done and done now. If indeed we have all agreed that there is a crisis facing the country, the only issue that remains is what do we do about it?