We are far from being free (Updated)

I just came back from Dataran (There is no longer a place called Dataran Merdeka in Malaysia)There was supposed to be a candlelight vigil in solidarity with Raja Petra. I reached there at about 15 minutes before 8pm. The place was already cordoned off by the police. There was no sign of anybody gathering there. At 8pm, my colleague & I decided to go to the other end of the Dataran via the back way. There were fewer police there and it was not cordoned off like the other end near the flagpole. Still no sign of people gathering. A few minutes later before a group of people went passed the police and started walking into the Dataran. They were not stopped and we decided to follow them.

It was a unique/eerie experience to walk from one end of the Dataran to the other with no traffic at all but with probably dozens of police watching you. We reached the other end and found a group of people have already gathered there. But it was a small group. Not more than 40.

After a while an Indian police officer said that there was going to be a demonstration and asked us to disperse. A lady in our group asked him what demo he was talking about. He evaded the question and continuing to ask us to disperse saying that he has a job to do. Someone in the group said that they came to take photos of the Dataran. The police officer then told us that we can take whatever photos we want but we have to disperse within 15 minutes.

Despite some grumblings, the crowd was just to small to mount a dissent and some began to walked away including myself. No point getting arrested. The small crowd could be due to the fact that Raja Petra has agreed to post bail and will be freed tomorrow.

Tonight, freedom remains an illusion to me at Freedom Square. How can we be free when we are not allowed to gather to just light candles. Well, I guess the darkness hates light. The political tsunami on March 8 has not totally dispelled the darkness. We must be wary of the 'Empire striking back' as Kit Siang puts it.

Update: Just read Malik Imtiaz's post on The Methodology of Fear. It confirmed my thoughts of freedom being an illusion in our country. Yes, I was fearful as I walked across the Dataran. Why should I be? Because I'm not free. I'm not free from all the oppressive laws that continue to hung over my head like the Sword of Damocles.

We can never be free until and unless all the oppressive laws are abolished. We can never be free until and unless the Govt fears the people.

What happened on 8 March was merely the Battle of Midway where the tide began to turn. We must press on until the A-Bomb is dropped on this morally bankrupt BN Government. Bloody battles remain ahead. Remember before Hiroshima & Nagasaki, there were Saipan, Peleliu, Iwo Jima & Okinawa, where some of the bloodiest battles were fought. We can also treat 8 March as the Normandy landings. There were many battles ahead before the Allies pushed into Germany and defeated Hitler. Before that we need to remember the fiasco of Operation Market Garden and the near debacle of the Battle of the Bulge.

Maybe I've announced VR (Victory for Rakyat) Day too early on 8 March. But I believe the light will eventually triumphed over darkness.