I refer to the Malaysiakini report on Wong, lawyers and protesters released.

Wong Chin Huat is a good friend of mine. Throughout my friendship with him, he has always been steadfast and sure in all of the campaigns and issues he has ever championed.

I first met him as a journalist when he was an activist attached with the defunct Suqiu movement and as our friendship grew, I managed to meet him at every single event organised by civil society in KL. He was always in the thick of things.

We later met up again under different circumstances this time as students at the University of Essex. Underneath his tough demeanor though is someone who was always willing to share and care for others while at the same time exhibiting an insatiable appetite to experiment with new dishes.

Chin Huat, no matter what, was always the most committed individual and more importantly in this topsy-turvy world we live in, consistent. He is being punished precisely for that.

The new administration has promised us Malaysians many things, among others, the opening up of the democratic space.

There has also been indications that the state would review draconian laws such as the infamous Internal Security Act (ISA) but, this latest punitive action taken against Chin Huat shows clearly the contradictions that lie within it.

I think I know what makes Chin Huat ticks - He wants to better Malaysia. His ideal is a vision of a stable country with everyone living in harmony with each other.

But more importantly he sought a country that abides by the rule of law and respects basic human dignity. It should be a place for everyone regardless of race and political inclination.

It should be a place where even at the very least, the democratic will of the people is upheld without being usurped by narrow-minded ethno-politics.

Chin Huat's wishes are simple enough. His stand is clear, his goals visible and obvious. However, these things make him a ‘dangerous' man.

The current administration still reeling from previous by-electoral defeats, hides itself in political doublespeak, hoping somehow that it can still remain relevant in the tide of increasing democratisation.

It is an administration afraid of its own shadow, incapable of understanding that what people need are not whispers of sweet nothings and meaningless labels but a clear stand.

The people of Malaysia deserve better. They deserve a government that delivers, a government that keeps to it promises, that is transparent in all its dealings. The people of Malaysia deserve a government that abides by the rule of law and not one that relies on force, might and intimidation to retain what little it has.

Despite his incarceration, his vision remains. His words to me ring as loud and clear as when he told me not long ago over a good meal he had cooked, "People are the boss!"

So don't you ever forget that.