Friday, May 8, 2009

Storming the Bastille?

When I first read RPK's article urging people to gather in Ipoh yesterday and to "storm the Bastille", I knew it was a futile attempt. Malaysia is not France few centuries ago. Although I'm a Perakian and I'm totally disgusted over the illegal power grab in Perak, I was not ready to "storm the Bastille". The most I did was to wear black and to urge those whom I know to do the same.

RPK for all the following that he has, will not be able to muster one thousand of his readers to his side. This was shown during his detention under the ISA. How many actually attended those candlelight vigils? I'm proud to say I attended but gave up after a few rounds because they were just not creating enough impact with a handful of us and exposed us to the brutality of the police. Most of Malaysia Today's readers are educated middle class people who are "kiasi" and will not risk it to participate in this kind of activities. They may rant and scream at the Government, but storming the Bastille? You must be joking.

RPK was disappointed with the turnout of PR's supporters yesterday but this morning he wrote another article espousing another perspective. And I think he is right. PR just cannot afford to go head on with the government right now. Anwar should now better than that. Remember how he mobilized the masses during the height of the Reformasi movement? All they need to do was to go after him and the movement just fizzled out. Look at what they did to Mat Sabu when he tried to call PAS suuporters to congregate in Manjoi for morning prayers.

The images of how the Sivakumar was dragged out from the State Assembly must surely have won over a number of fence sitters and made those who were disgusted more disgusted that they will do everything possible to see the demise of the BN led government in the next GE.

Isn't it better to wait for Bastille to crumble than to storm it? Yes, go ahead and arrest more people for wearing black or lighting candles. Please do us the favour.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sometimes talking is easy but doing is the toughest part.
We must face the facts of life and be practical at times. In today's lifestyle everyone is so tied down with financial burdens. Just imagine if one is to go ahead and storm the Bastille and got arrested and locked up under ISA or whatever for indefinite period, who will pay for the house installment, car installment, telephone bills, handphone bills, electricity bills, water bills, internet bills, astro bills, insurance premiums, credit card bills, school fees, tuition fees, and all other bills!
We are just stuck with too many bills (liabilities)these days that if we go ahead then we are simply digging our own grave and destroying our own family. Unless the wife is very very understanding and willing to take over the breadwinner title and let the husband go ahead. Getting someone to storm the Bastille is not as easy as it seems. How many wives are willing to face this kind of situation? 0.0001% maybe.
Only people who are lone rangers without commitments can go full swing.

chils said...

I don't agree with Anonymous. Our generation with bills to pay means we have had the opportunity to accumulate wealth. It also indicates we have not stood up for anything 'politically'. We were probably also old enough to remember May 13. But those times are history!

Its a new era! There are loads of people, 30yrs and below who will not have the opportunities we have had. They are also 'smarter' than us with all the new technologies available.

So we need to participate in the 'now'. Otherwise all the school fees and bills will come to nought for the next generation!

Evelyn said...

When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty”….”Many will call me an adventurer - and that I am, only one of a different sort: one of those who risks his skin to prove his platitudes.”— Che Guevara (1928-1967) International Revolutionary

let us rejoice while not forgetting there are still 14 ISA detainees let in kamunting as we speak. we are proposing a more drastic actions,capitalizing najib fears of more PRK, fear of losing the faith of the rakyat, to maintain people’s perception that he is still in power. join us in our quest to push the Pakatan Leaders to be willing to threaten the government into releasing more ISA detainees.

Good day to all,

We would like to invite you to our blog "Misi Membebaskan Tahanan ISA"

to push the the PAS/PKR leaders to step forward and offered 2

ADUN/Parliamentary seats up for resignation as a way to threaten the

govrnment into releasing more ISA detainees. Details of the strategy can

be followed here:

"Blog Bebaskan Mereka"We would appreciate it if you drop by and sign our petition as well."Online

Petition"
Justice for all.


salam perjuangan bro,

mohon kehadiran suara ke blog kami "Misi Membebaskan Tahanan ISA" dengan

mendesak agar pimpinan PAS/PKR menunjukkan keikhlasan dengan berani

menawarkan letak jawatan kerusi ADUN/PARLIMEN sebagai ugutan kepada

pihak kerajaan.

sila lawat: "Blog Bebaskan

Mereka"
seterusnya, mohon menandatangani petisyen kami di:

"Online

Petition"
JZK