'It is my prerogative. I don't have to explain why'

So said Mahathir at the VK Lingam Tape Royal Commission of Inquiry when asked about reasons for certain decisions that he made. Malaysiakini reports it here.

That one statement captures the attitude of not only the past, but existing leaders of this country. It is a very dangerous arrogance. Simply put, our nation has eroded to a point where leaders see no more need for check-and-balance. They hold carte blanche on all things - and i really mean all - without any public scrutiny.

Federal money, law enforcement agencies, EPF, state development and even your damn longkang - they make the decisions, you hedge your bets that it benefits you somewhat. If you haven't been kissing some YB's ass, that's just too bad. Three separate arms of government? Yeah, maybe back in '57.

We allowed this, you know.

We allowed this in the unfolding of decades past, where piece by piece - because of the overwhelming support BN gets at each general election - our pillars were dismantled to vest more power on men such as Mahathir.

But it ain't just DrM. It's about power and who gets to wield it. i'm willing to bet Anwar would've been the same had he been in prime position; i'll bet Lim Kit Siang would've been the same had it been DAP that was in overwhelming power. Ditto Nik Aziz. Really, nothing personal but the simple truth is that Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely.

We must now disallow it. We, the citizens, have to take away the powers vested onto these slugs and ensure the pillars are reerected with titanium resolve.

This blogs fully endorses The People's Parliament, a citizen movement initiated by Haris Ibrahim calling on all folks to step up and take back the country. Already a number of citizen groups have been initiated - PJ Selatan, PJ Utara, Segambut, Serdang, Selayang, Subang among them. i have stepped forward. Won't you?

Let's together make them realise that they are first and foremost servants; that they do have to explain. And no, Mahathir, it is not your prerogative. Not on matters such as this. And certainly not when you are serving 24 million Malaysians.

And tell that to your dumb successor too. Second thoughts, never mind. We'll tell him this coming GE. We, the citizens.