AUG 26 — On January 25, 2011, the Day of Rage began in Egypt. Thousands of Egyptians took to the streets, protesting against government corruption and the rule of President Hosni Mubarak. What began as a non-violent protest ended up in tragedy, basking Cairo with blood and tears of sorrow.

It is easy to point out that a demonstration can destroy the peaceful state of a country. However, the tragedy in Egypt warrants a closer scrutiny – especially by any Government of the day. After all, those who never learned from history often repeat similar mistakes.

A demonstration is not merely an event where a group of people assemble together to voice out their frustrations. It is something more than that. It is an expression of hope, that things will change for the better. It is an action premised on the principles of civil disobedience. The keyword here is disobedience – a refusal to obey those in possession of power, without resorting to violence. Hence, when the authority demands demonstrators to comply with various requirements before they can demonstrate, it is difficult to comply with such demand, not because of too much hassle, but mainly because it goes against the core ideas of disobedience.

The Government, when addressing the rising tide of civil disobedience or non-violent struggles, needs to exercise great caution before taking any action. Making it difficult or adding more hurdles for the demonstrators will only invite 2 possible consequences:

1. Increasing sympathy for the demonstrators.

2. Increasing frustrations among the demonstrators.

Whilst it is important to wield power in order to maintain a perception of authority, a continuous suppression by the Government of the day risks turning a non-violent struggle into something uglier. In some countries, such continuous suppression has caused increasing tension, leading to bloodbath beyond imagination. Thus, a sensible Government, guided by wisdom, should give serious thought before committing itself to a particular response.

There is no perfect Government in this world, for divinity belongs to the Kingdom of Heaven. However, a smart and effective Government will realize some of its mistakes very soon, and thereafter take effective steps to resolve citizens’ dissatisfaction over such mistakes. This is more critical than spending substantial effort to curtail the movement of the non-violent struggle — the non-violent struggle is only the symptom, not the root cause of the problem.

The increasing numbers of those joining the non-violent struggle reflects the failure of the Government in addressing earlier minor dissatisfaction among its citizens. It would be easy to point fingers at others, blaming them for allegedly having a sinister intent, inciting hatred among the citizen. Even if this is true, it should not be taken as a license for the Government to aggravate matters by issuing insensitive statements that insult its own intellect and hurt the feelings of its citizens.

Although a country has attained certain level of progress in material development, this does not necessarily mean that its citizens are leading a life of reasonable convenience, free from hardship and injustice that life brings. Therefore, the Government needs to be sensitive to the plight of its citizens and address any injustice that can harm its citizens. Not all problems can be solved via material gift, either in the form of money or basic infrastructure.

Therefore, my humble advice to the Government is, please do your best in making it easier for the demonstrators to voice their plight. Facilitate, not frustrate. This is not the right time to use flimsy reasons like “we are concern this may disrupt businesses in the city”. Neither is this the right time to play rhetorical games. The Government of the day needs to do its best to diffuse the tension, failing which will only results in the Government losing further grounds in the war of perception, if it has any grounds left.

May we celebrate Merdeka together, peacefully and harmoniously, God-willing.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.