JULY 10 — Spiders are clever and agile little things. A spin here, a pirouette there and before you know it, the fly is in the trap. Problem is, on some occasions, the spider gets entangled itself.

The government’s tragic-comic handling of the “movement with no name or colour” has led it to be wrapped in a sticky web of its own making. But that making started at the top of a circle, with Dr. Mahathir. It also, ironically, ends with him.

Let us first consider a fact exposed (to me at least) by John Mallot, the former US ambassador and satirist (as all who write on Malaysian politics ought to be described) for the Wall Street Journal. He revealed that the Umno/BN government is the longest serving elected government in the world. They have served without change for 53 years. We are apparently a constitutional aberration. We have never had a change of government, but our monarchy changes every five years.

Let us ponder that for a moment. Just a moment. Consider the adjective and the noun: longest and government. Then the number: 53. Finally, the verb, “elected”. Sit back and just ponder that.

If one were to take those thoughts and apply reason and logic to them, it would only lead to the conclusion that Umno/BN have been irrepressibly the most excellent government in the world for half a century. And that is why we keep returning them.

That is of staggering import, and if one were to believe the recent mantras, we ought to also insure that this should be the case in perpetuity. Always.

It may be that I am not an actuary: but something has to be wrong with this, and if it does not relate to the way our elections are conducted, I am applying for citizenship in Disneyland. In Tokyo, of course, which is where all the earthquakes are.

This babbling brings us to this weekend, and the coming to maturity of this round object. The time to say, to Malaysians, that we thank Dr M for bringing this full circle. For in any reasonable logic, only this could have happened.

This “movement with no name and colour” began with no more than a whimper. Dropping off a memorandum of things that some ladies with headbands thought wrong. Yes, they look a “biiiiiit tough lah” but it could have been handled sensibly and without fear.

Here is how that goes:

“Lovely, we will have some of that, thanks Ambiga, Maria, yes we are very worried, yes you are correct, correct, correct … That colour really suits you both … Never seen the same colour suit an Indian lady and a Chinese both at the same time … Ok, Ok, Ok … very serious … yes, yes … Tea … Kuih? … Byeeeeeeeee.”

Receipt of the memorandum and before you can say Ambig Ga Ga, it’s in the bin and all have forgotten about it.

The question to ask is why that did not happen.

There is, of course, a political answer to that, which began with Tun Ahmad Badawi’s willingness to engage civil society, and sadly ended in his being elbowed from office for that very reason. For realising that ours is a society that is maturing beyond its years, that wants and needs to debate its future, not on race, but on issues.

That left him and all that were with him in the wilderness. For Umno/BN can never say that those across the divide have an argument that ought to be heard or debated. Indeed, such is the culture of “we are right” that even the opposition cannot be heard to say a good thing of any programme of the government. That is something we must ask both sides of the divide to mature to.

Digressing from that thought, brings us to this disproportionate response to the “movement and colour with no name” and most appropriately to ask whether the current administration’s response has been appropriate.

Reason and logic have been the hallmark of every step that the “movement with no name or colour” has taken. That has been the difficulty for the administration, who have against the force of cold reason, only turned to smoke and fear.

But, here is the thing and really where the circle has finally come around: for all your efforts to emulate Dr M, to distance yourself from being a government that engages, you have painted yourself indelibly as harsh, repressive and illogically dependent on a media that is consigned to classified advertisements.

And that is why you will never understand the soul of this country, one that is slowly yet irresistibly forming. Because Dr M has, without you knowing, left the people with the one instrument to stare you down. The very thing we are all reading this on: the Internet.

At the end of the day, he will be laughing loudest.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication. The Malaysian Insider does not endorse the view unless specified.