The following remarks were delivered at a Global Bersih event in Sydney, Australia on Saturday 28 April.

I speak today, here in Australia, as an Australian citizen.

I speak about citizenship, Australian citizenship and also Malaysian citizenship.

Australia and Malaysia are not two entirely different worlds.

Far from it.

Both countries are constitutional monarchies - Malaysia because of the constitutional role of the Agong, who is chosen from among the nine Malay state rulers, and Australia because, chosen or not, the Queen of England is also somehow the Queen of Australia.

Both countries are constitutional monarchies in technical form.

But in real political substance and character both are parliamentary democracies...