Dark black outside, pure white inside

Dark black outside, pure white inside. That's mangosteen equivalent to 1blackmalaysia, according to WCH's friend.

As author Malcolm Gladwell aptly captured in his bestseller The Tipping Point, "Ideas and products and messages and behaviours spread like viruses do."

WCH is trying hard to remind us of the epidemics in Malaysia, more lethal than Dengue, more bone pain than Chikunguya, more breathless than A(H1N1), it's the infectious political dissent.

the virus carriers...

Police arrests for such actions can be seen as quarantining the "virus carriers" of dissent. The authorities hope that the fear of being arrested and locked up would serve as a vaccine.

However, when the arrested talk about their lock-up experiences with excitement and detention becomes a badge of honour, you know the anti-viral drug has only made the virus stronger.

the virus...

Unlike organised campaigns like the three mass rallies in 2007, the epidemic in 2009 has no "ring leaders" for the authorities to catch or persecute. Viruses simply have no "leaders".

the epidemic spread...

What frustrates the police and drives them desperate is this: the more "carriers" you catch, the faster the epidemic spreads.

nature of the virus...

What is the nature of the virus they are combating? The virus is incurable and indestructible because it is part of us and what makes us human. Call it common sense or reason or even humanity.

Because of the common sense or reason that we have, humans have limited tolerance for injustice, violence, arrogance and absurdity. Hence, the virus does not strike without such triggers.

That's why you don't have civil disobedience now in India, the US or Poland. When governments are seen as legitimate by the majority of the population, any call for civil disobedience is ignored or ridiculed.

quarantine the right triggers...

Instead, the police must advise their political chiefs to quarantine the "triggers", whose abuse of power and arrogance make civil disobedience the trendiest thing in town.

For example, the ill-tempered Brickfields OCPD must be quarantined until he completes his anger management course.

Similarly, Home Minister DSHH and the Inspector-General of Police TSMH must be quarantined from making more infuriating statements until they learn the basics of democracy and rule of law.

Of course, the police must also quarantine themselves from civil gatherings — in black or other colours - to prevent further outbreaks. They would do better by focusing on crimes rather than violating citizens' rights.

the real cure...

As the "democracy first, elections now" prescription on the wall states, fresh polls in Perak would be the ultimate remedy to end this 1BLACKMalaysia epidemic before it sweeps Putrajaya.