Malaysians have changed. They now want to know about everything. They don't trust the government any more. Signs of outrage over Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's treatment of Anwar and loss of faith in his government are increasingly evident. You can only become a developed nation when people become developed.
People now are more critical, more analytical.
That doesn't mean the new awakening is meaningless. Already, the government is listening. Mahathir's creation of a royal commission to investigate Anwar's prison beating was a dramatic sign of that. It's the first time Mahathir has set up such a commission to investigate possible misconduct within the police. And Mahathir has begun travelling to the grassroots and meeting diverse groups of people to get out his version of events.