We're not gonna get rid of anybody! We're gonna stick together, just like it used to be! When you side with a man, you stay with him! And if you can't do that, you're like some animal, you're finished! WE'RE finished! All of us. - Pike Bishop (The Wild Bunch)

If you are sincerely interested in changing Malaysia for the better, if you sincerely believe in the ‘muhibbah' concept of Pakatan Rakyat, you would with great haste (if you haven't already) read Pang Kee Teik's letter titled 'LGBT, don't put up living in fear' in the letters section of Malaysiakini.

Now, I understand how sympathetic views on the subject of homosexuality or anything related to it is near verboten in the mainstream media and ‘tolerated' in the alternative media, but Pang's letter goes to the heart of the problems faced by marginalised communities in this country when it comes to dissent or just speaking truth to power - those who have it and those who want to claim it. Pang's letter is a response to those in the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) community who think that his efforts with Seksualiti Merdeka is rocking the boat as far as their lifestyle choices is concerned and that living ‘under the radar' is preferable to the spotlight of bigotry they are now forced to endure.

Does this sound familiar? It really doesn't matter what your own personal religious views on homosexuality is, but this whole ‘don't rock the boat' idea held sway for the majority of the voting public for a long time when it came to oppositional politics in this country and for some people still remains a credible philosophy today. And since ‘opposition politics' has gone ‘mainstream', this same view permeates the discourse when it comes to dissenting opinions amongst a certain section of pro-Pakatan Rakyat leaders and supporters.

Take Hindraf for example. Besides the ‘racist' label what Hindraf is often accused of and by extension the ‘Indian' community, it is rocking the Pakatan boat to Putrajaya. My views on Hindraf and P Uthayakumar not playing well with others is a matter of public record but I find the idea that they should just keep quiet and ‘realise' that Pakatan is their best bet is anathema to the whole idea of fighting for one's rights and at the end of the day, this is what this whole idea of regime change is all about, fighting for our rights.

Pakatan will always be a work in progress (which is a good thing) and dissenting voices should be encouraged because the day Pakatan stops evolving is the era of the new BN.

Homosexuality a taboo subject I have written about the 'fear culture' as having a deleterious effect on Malaysian society. Pang writes, "Fear is the tool of the tyrant in making us utterly alone and powerless. We are not alone. And we are not powerless. We must change our fear into outrage."

And I could not agree more. He may have been writing about the gay experience here in Malaysia but this is something any marginalised community can relate to. The difference is unlike the gay community ‘we', and by we I mean those of us who have suddenly found our sympathies for opposition politics bearing fruit have realised that we are not alone. Our outrage is reflected in the results of the last general election. It is incumbent on us to remind ourselves that there are many communities who are still ‘alone' out there and that our preferred parties, more often than not for political expediency or fear of sanctions from the ruling regime, neglect to take into consideration these lone voices.

This is not confined to the gay community but also the Orang Asli and other communities, be they Malay, Chinese or Indian who live on the fringe, away from the concerns of the mainstream polity. And let's face facts, we may be outraged by the trumped-up charges of ‘sodomy' that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim had to face but the reality is that homosexuality has always been a taboo subject here in Malaysia and the LGBT community has always been vilified no matter which side of the political divide you come from.

Religion has been the main advocate of exclusion with Muslims and Christians finding common ground, the muteness of the latter perhaps the only time when silence meant genuine acquiesce. Pakatan has been cautious of outright support and I can't blame them because considering the allegations faced by Anwar and the fact that the opposition has to consider the conservative voice of the religious PAS, embracing this issue wholeheartedly would be political suicide.

So I understand the muted response. Well it's easy for me to understand because like most issues if it does not affect one directly it slowly becomes a non-issue. And this is the problem, right here. I realise that the ‘gay issue' is part of the whole ‘culture war' that has been quietly raging under the bed covers of Malaysian society for some time now and in the bigoted outpourings of condemnation that the ruling regime has used against the charismatic Anwar but the reality is at the heart of it, as Pang insightfully articulates, the issue is one of basic human rights.

It may be cold comfort that what the Wikileaks cables exposed is that the homosexuality issue was being used as a political weapon and that the ruling regime was very aware that members of its own party were gay but this does very little in furthering the creation of a just and equal society.

Stemming religious and racial bigotry People often ask how they can stem the tide of religious bigotry that seems pervasive in this country. How can they stem the tide of racial bigotry that seems so overwhelming?

My answer is simple, by showing support for causes such as these. By reminding communities such as these that they are a part of the wider mainstream polity who believe in equality and justice even at the expense of their own sometimes prejudiced religious dogma.

I realise this last part will get me into trouble, but I see no contradiction in the belief that a higher power will judge you but the laws of men should treat all as alike. Perhaps I am not liberal or conservative enough to commit totally to a specific dogma or ideology but as far as I am concerned, the basic issues that Pang expresses as part of a marginalised community is applicable to nearly every marginalised community in Malaysia, and that we should stand together for our rights and not be divided by what the ruling regime has always used against us, religion or some sort of variation of ‘Asian values'.

This is how we stem the tide of religious bigotry. This is how we stem the tide of racial discrimination. If we can turn out in large numbers for ‘clean' elections rallies or people power rallies or education speak outs or environmental demonstrations, then we need to embrace issues like these, which would have a far more long-lasting effect on the state of religious or social control of this country.

Think about how the state has a say about the people we choose to be with. If you marry a Muslim, you have to convert. Some of you would argue that I'm conflating issues, but I would argue otherwise. This has everything to do with how the state interferes in our private lives and uses religion or cultural values as the means to do so. The only difference with the ‘gay issue' is that there's an agreement amongst a good number in society as to who to exclude from the political and social process based on their various religious and cultural prejudices.

So there it is. You want to stem the tide of Islamisation or any kind of religious bigotry or institutionalised discrimination, you better be prepared to make your voice heard even though it may sometimes go against your own religious or cultural ‘education'. I apologise to Pang if it seems I have hijacked his cause by placing it in a wider context, but this sometimes happens in the fog of war. Malaysiakini