We MUST speak up...

They first came
for the Communists
I didn't speak up
because I wasn't
a Communist

Then they came
for the Jews
I didn't speak up
because I wasn't a Jew

Then they came
for the homosexuals
and I didn't speak up
because I wasn't
a homosexual

Then they came
for the Catholics
and I didn't speak up
because I was
a Protestant

Then they came
for me
but by that time
there was no one
left to speak up


- Martin Niemoller, detainee at a Nazi Germany concentration camp.

At the moment, it may seem like this 'emergency plus' has no impact on
your lives. You go to school or work, you do your job, you get your
pay, you go home, have dinner, and the day is over. Somewhere in the
middle, you watch some TV or read the paper and notice that people are
protesting and being beaten up or tear gassed. Some of you will think
it's the right thing to do but you wouldn't do it yourself. Others
will think those protesting are crazy and stupid; nothing is going to
change anyway. Others will just change the channel or turn to the
sports page in the paper.

Why are people bothered about this emergency business? Let's think
about that, almost a week since it was declared. The reason is
actually very simple. The Provisional Constitutional Order issued by
Musharraf takes away every right you could claim to have had a week
ago. You can be arrested for anything or nothing at all. You can be
charged with treason because you happened to say, 'I don't like
Musharraf'. If arrested, you could be held without trial. You would
not be tried by a jury of your peers. You would not have the right of
habeas corpus. You can not assemble, you can not speak your mind, you
have no right to property or even to life.

No one has the right to tell you that you are incapable of democracy.
No one has the right to tell you who your next Prime Minister will be.
No one has the right to tell you that you can not dissent. And no one
ever has the right to hurt innocent people.

This affects you every day. You may not see it, but tomorrow, it
MIGHT. Ten years form now, it MIGHT affect your children. Maybe in 20
years, your children will ask you, 'What's voting? Why didn't you do
something to stop this man from taking away your rights?' How will you
answer them? Would you rather they asked, 'What is martial law?' Would
you rather be able to tell them that you'll take them voting the next
time?

This is our country, a part of our identity. We owe it a great deal
and it is about time we gave something back. It is time to come out of
the shell and make an effort, an extraordinary one. And not just for
the end of this 'emergency' but also for the long term, to bring an
end to injustice, to guarantee our rights, and to keep the army where
it belongs - protecting our country.