A Plea to Pray for the Nation

My dear friends, especially those who still consider Malaysia your home, do you realize that we are at a very critical stage in the history of our nation. The events of the next 12 months will more or less determine the direction of our nation for our children's generation and their children's generation. We either become a basket case or pull back from the brink and start rebuilding again.

20/30 years of pillage and wastage under the UMNO led Govt has done almost irreversible damage. Even if there is a change of govt, the new govt may need more than a term to clean up the mess. What will even be more difficult is to change the mindset of the populace whom are addicted to subsidies and mediocrity. We must not be under any illusions that getting rid of the present govt will solve all our woes overnight. But it will be a new beginning.

However, humanly speaking it is impossible to unseat the current govt. Do you know that because of the delineation of the electoral boundaries BN needs only to win 15.4% of the popular vote by winning in all the small seats to win by a simple majority? (See here). Kapar, an opposition held seat is 7 times bigger than Putrajaya, a BN held seat. Majority of these rural and small seats are held by the BN.

The above is only one example of the non level playing field in our electoral system. Unfortunately, it was not included among those 8 demands made by Bersih. This together with Bersih's 8 areas of concern if not rectified will akin to playing a football match with the no. of players of a basketball team for the Opposition parties.

I do not believe anything will change before the next GE. As such, short of divine intervention, we will still have a govt that is going to continue to mismanage and loot the nation until it is bankrupt. We will still have a govt who will continue to make use of the public institutions such as the police, civil service, judiciary etc to remain in power and passed more draconian laws to stifle dissent. We will still have a govt who will continue to use race and religion to divide us in order to maintain its hegemony.

My dear friends, whatever your religion may be, if you believe in God, can I invite you to just spend 5 to 10 minutes a day to pray for our nation. To pray for justice and righteousness to be established from Perlis to Sabah? To pray for God fearing leaders to be raised up to serve the nation. Thank you.

Band of Brothers and Sisters

709 will forever remained as the watershed event in Malaysian history. When it was first announced there was going to be Bersih 2.0 rally, I told myself I probably skip it as I have already gone for the first one. Let others go. But as the weeks passed and looking at how the Government reacted in totally unfathomable ways in what supposed to be a democratic country, I began to have second thoughts. Well I guess I don’t have to go into details. Everyone knows what they were. But I guess the final straw for me was when they arrested Dr. Jeyakumar and his 5 other colleagues and decided to detain them under the Emergency Ordinance (EO) without trial. The EO is not any different from the ISA. In fact the ISA is more ‘respectable’ as it is normally used against political activists. But the EO is normally used against hardcore criminals who are threats to society. That for me, is an act of blatant injustice. One of my ex-journalist friend who has interviewed Dr. Jeyakumar describes him as a living saint. For more about Dr. Jeyakumar, you can read it here.

A Personal Account

The plan was to drive two other friends to Asia Jaya LRT and from there alight at KL Sentral to meet up with a bigger group there. We left before 10am and reached the LRT station in less than half an hour. There were few policemen there but they were not bothered with us. Policemen were everywhere at KL Sentral. Groups of Malays with skullcaps were stopped and questioned. We adjourned to the Medan Selera and waited for our other friends. They arrived safely later by KTM Komuter.

We waited until about 12.30pm before we decided to move out. On the way out I saw people were being arrested near KL Hilton. We went down the other way that leads to Jalan Tun Sambathan. It was along Jalan Tun Sambanthan that I began to get quite scared and wanted to turn back after witnessing a police truck stopped on the opposite side of the road and hauled a group of people up. But to go back alone would have been more dangerous. Better to get arrested in a group. When we were about to reach the Klang Bus station, we saw a big group marching towards us. I felt more relaxed now. We joined in and began to march towards Chinatown.

Shouting and chanting along the way. I thought we were going to Stadium Merdeka but we ended up at Puduraya. A huge crowd has gathered by now. Some were beginning to take out their yellow shirts. Not too long after that the police with their water cannon trucks and the FRU came (from Jln Tun Perak I think) and began to shoot chemical laced water at the crowd. There was no provocation before that. Of course, the crowd started jeering. Then the tear gas started to fall and the crowd was running everywhere.

Although I was quite far away where the tear gas fell, because of the wind caused by one helicopter, I got a taste of it. It was terrible. Eyes began to become teary and painful. And it's like someone just shoved some chili powder down your throat. The police didn’t advance towards our side but towards those who were at Jalan Pudu. The crowd gathered again and began to march back into Chinatown. All shops were closed except for one which did roaring business selling mineral water.

It began to rain and soon it poured. We were completetely drenched as we make our way up the slope to Stadium Merdeka. However, we couldn’t proceed further as they have already barricaded the area. For a moment there was an eerie silence and my friend told me he felt uncomfortable about the situation. I was also feeling uncomfortable looking at the surrounding area. We were in a situation where we could have been easily surrounded. We decided to go back to Petaling Street. Along the way, we saw a few friends in MacDonalds that to my surprise is still opened. Went in and had my lunch. About half an hour later another group was marching pass us and we decided to join them. We didn’t get far before being gassed again. By then, my phone battery was running low and I felt that I should call it a day. So I didn’t regroup and join them for a final assault at Stadium Merdeka. Went back to MacDonald’s to recharge my battery and wait for 4pm where we were supposed to disperse. As promised, the crowd dispersed at 4pm. People started to walk back from the stadium to the Pasar Seni LRT station.

LRT station was closed. Decided to walk to KL Sentral. It was a long walk as by now both my legs were cramped. My friend had to carry my bag. Shortly after we arrived, the LRT resumed its operation. Tired and wearied but happy to know that I have witnessed the true 1 Malaysia on the streets on KL that afternoon.

Some thoughts

The awakening of the middle class

It was amazing to see the number of the middle class especially the Chinese on the streets. One of my friends made a very good observation. How to you know they are middle class? Well, half of them have some sort of smartphones especially iPhones. I was surprised to bump into so many friends and acquaintances. Some whom I cannot believe will be willing to risk being arrested, tear gassed or even beaten up.

A multi-racial crowd

Unlike the first rally where the crowd was predominantly Malay, this time I think it was more reflective of the racial composition of the country. There was no hesitation to lend a helping hand irregardless of one’s race, religion and class. All such barriers were torn down when we marched together with a purpose. The true 1 Malaysia was there on the streets of KL that afternoon.

The numbers

Initially I was disappointed as from my from what I can see there couldn’t be more than 10,000. Little did I know that there were big groups from other areas The police prevented us from linking up. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter if it was 6000 as reported by the IGP or 50,000 as claimed by Bersih. Read here as to why. I know for sure I have family members and friends who were not out there but were equally supportive of the cause.

Police brutality

Personally I didn’t witness any. But from video clips and personal accounts, the police has acted in a most brutal way. Imagine firing tear gas and chemical laced water into a hospital. Even in war time, hospitals are supposed to be immune from attack. Video clips I have seen clearly show how tear gas was fired. Not at a tilted angle but directly at the crowd. The canisters can maim and kill. In fact, Khalid Samad MP for Shah Alam was hit at the back of the head and required 6 stitches. Anwar’s bodyguard was hit on the face. They were also shooting tear gas at confined places like the tunnel at KL Sentral that leads to Jln Tun Sambanthan.

All these happened without any provocation. The crowd was peaceful. Yes, we were noisy and loud. But violent, never. No one broke anything. No one burned anything. No one vandalised anything. And yet people were beaten up and gassed by the very people who were supposed to protect them.

Najib and his Govt.

They have completely lost the plot. Even now, they are still in denial mode. Not a few have told me that they didn’t give a damn about Bersih three weeks ago. But because of what the Govt did, they cannot remain silent anymore. Looking at the sheer number of Chinese middle and upper middle class of the streets that afternoon, MCA is going to be wiped out in the next GE.

The Facebook generation

I was very encouraged to see that majority of the crowd consisted of the youth. They are no longer apathetic. I told myself maybe I can retire from such thing already until I saw on the net this lady. In fact, I also saw an old lady with a walking stick helped by a friend walking ahead of me.

Conclusion

I would like to thank my friends who were so supportive and showed so much concern when I was out there treating me like a hero. I am not a hero. There were times when I wanted to turn back and wished I was not there. I was fearful all the time except when we were on the march. To borrow a line from the HBO series, The Band of Brothers, I was not courageous but I walked with those who are. On 709, Malaysians from all races and walks of life became the Band of Brothers and Sisters on the streets of KL. May this spirit spread to every corner of Malaysia.

Dear friends, I hope I never have to do it again. So please go out there and encourage everyone who has not register as voters to register and kick out this evil regime from Putrajaya in the next GE.

Update: How could I left out mentioning my dear wife? She prayed for me before I left the house. She was very concerned for my safety. She went to the hairdressing saloon to release her tension I think and found that the hairdresser is also an ardent Bersih supporter. She smsed me a few times to find out my situation. Thank you darling for allowing me to do what I believed in though it caused you so much anxiety.

Stadium Merdeka?

I think the decision of Bersih 2.0 to go ahead to assemble at Stadium Merdeka irregardless of whether a permit is given is a mistake. A mistake not such much of defying the authorities. I think the Government left Bersih with no choice. But a mistake as to the venue. The reason given by Bersih is because of the historical significance/symbolism of Stadium Merdeka and its central location. Very cogent reasons. However, if you can’t get even within 1km of the stadium, will your objective be achieved? It is very easy for the police to cordon off the entire area within a 1km radius.

A look at the map of the surrounding areas also discloses 3 police stations nearby and 2 of them are not ordinary police stations. They are Ibu Pejabat Daerah Dang Wangi and Ibu Pejabat Kontijen Polis KL. Basically the whole KL police force is stationed next door.

The previous Bersih rally was supposed to assemble at Dataran Merdeka. The entire area was easily cordoned off and people had to assemble elsewhere and march to the Istana. Now this time there is no longer any destination since the Agong has advised against street demos and Bersih has agreed. I guess Bersih 2.0 will eventually be forced to do that as there is no way anyone can get through to Stadium Merdeka. They will blame it on the Govt for reneging on their promise. But where will they go?

I was elated when the King granted audience to Bersih in an unprecedented speed. I was hopeful that a peaceful solution can be found. However, by evening I got the feeling that the Govt is no going to budge after news of the discovery of Molotov cocktails, parangs and Bersih T-shirts. They are just going to say in view of this, the threat is still there even if there are no longer street demos. The comments made by people and opposition politicians claiming victory and ridiculing the Govt and police didn’t help either. They were anything but gracious. Of course, it’s understandable given what nonsense the Govt and the police have been throwing at us the last few weeks. But the battle has not been won yet. Understandable but not very smart.

As I argued in my last posting, the awareness level for electoral reform has reached a new height given the publicity that was generated in the past weeks. Furthermore, now people are also aware that we have a Govt who is not only highly incompetent but has turned what would have been a non event into a national crisis. People are also aware that we have a Govt who has undermined every public institution in the country in their quest to hold on to power. The latest (well not really, Dr. M has done that long time ago) is the constitutional monarchy.

Is there a need to march anymore? Well I think no, if it’s for electoral reform but yes to reclaim our constitutional right to assemble in a peaceful manner and without arms and to protest against the high handedness of the police. As Art Harun puts it, Bersih is no longer about electoral reform. It has become a movement of people against some sort of tyranny.

Well, I still hope against hope that a last minute compromise will be found though both parties have already ruled out any compromise. Or hope for a miracle that the King will order Stadium Merdeka to be opened and he himself will go there and join the rakyat. But the likely scenario will be within the next 24 hours most if not all the Bersih Steering committee will be arrested together with some Opposition politicians. KL will be locked down. LRT and KTM commuter will be shut down or they will bypass strategic stations. Even telecommunications will be disrupted to prevent marchers from communicating with each other.

Will I be there? I don’t know. All I know is 9^th July 2011 is going to be Hari Ini Dalam Sejarah for the better or the worse.

Kyrie Eleison – Lord have mercy.

To march or not to march?

That’s the question posed by one of my friends in his FB last week. My response was if we love our country, the answer is obvious. Well, it’s not so obvious now after the Agong issued a statement late last night. Even though the Government would have a hand in drafting the statement, it is still one that came from the King. I think it is a fair statement with the purpose of defusing a very tense situation. It can be used by both the parties to find a solution and to save face although for BN the damage has already been irreparable.

For me, it offers some relief that a solution may be found so as to avoid confrontation. It will be a lie to say that I am not fearful. Those in power has gone mad and are more than willing to use their claws to used the expression of our PM. But I keep telling myself the freedom from fear is a very precious freedom and we have to protect it at all cause. However, fear can works both ways. It can either lead you to do stupid and irrational things like what our Government is doing or it can lead to you deeper reflection to find alternatives protecting you from unnecessary dangers.

I think it will be very difficult for Bersih to continue with the rally without losing substantial support. A look at the comments in cyberworld seems to suggest that many Bersih supporters think well of the Agong’s statement. For those hardcore ones who said the Agong didn’t explicitly prohibit the rally, I think they have missed the point. If the Agong has been explicit as one sultan has done, these people would have condemned him.

For PR, if they push ahead with the rally, they will give ammo to BN/PERKASA to blast them for being derhaka. They will stand to lose support especially from the Malay voters. If they back off, no one can accuse them anymore of disrespecting the royalty. The BN because of their stupidity and arrogance in handling this matter would have lost substantial support from those fence sitters. What more can PR ask for?

The purpose of a rally is to publicize to the whole world your cause. That is why it cannot be confined to a stadium as some people suggested. Stadiums are meant for sporting events. I think due to the overreaction from the Govt, many have come to know about Bersih and their demands for electoral reform. The citizens are being made more aware now of why without electoral reforms, our democracy is a sham one. One party will always remain in power despite how badly they govern. It is even possible for them to win less than 50% of the votes and remain in power through gerrymandering. As such, I feel the objective of the rally has been made. I think no one has the illusion that the rally will going to immediately lead to the fulfillment of all the 8 demands. These will have to wait until BN loses power.

The Agong has called on the Government to act in a wise and just manner. As such, the police should stop their high handed action. Recognize Bersih. Grant to Bersih’s committee an audience with the Agong to submit their memo. Most important of all, immediately release Dr. Jeyakumar and 5 other PSM members. If all that happens, I will be happy to stay at home on 9/7 wearing a yellow T-shirt. Pray that reason will prevail.

Kyrie eleison - Lord have mercy.

Bersih

I didn’t intend to participate in the first Bersih rally until the last 2 days. I hate crowded areas. I would rather pay for something more than to get a good bargain from those sales that departmental stores hold every now and then. I only decided to march when 2 days before the event, our then PM, Pak Lah threaten the marchers with “Saya pantang dicabar”. I was immediately incensed. What the heck. This guy has been sleeping on the job for so long and now suddenly woke up to threaten the rakyat. I just wanted to tell him he has lost all authority to tell us what to do by his non performance as a PM thus far.

The next problem is I need to find an accomplice. I was not so stupid as to go alone. We also have been warned by the organizers not to go alone. The day before, I found my accomplice. We decided to take the LRT from Asia Jaya. I nearly gave up after waiting for him for more than one hour. He, like everyone else on that day was caught in a traffic jam. By the time we reached Pasar Seni it was nearly 3pm. It was probably the last LRT operating before they shut the LRT down.

When we came down from the station, it was very quiet and raining heavily. I thought either the march didn’t materialize or it was all over. Just when I wanted to tell my friend to go back, we heard shouts from not too far away. A group of people was trying to get pass the FRU. So it was not over yet. The meeting point was at Dataran Merdeka. We went across to the Dayabumi building and when we came out from it, we could see that Dataran Merdeka was already cordoned off and no one was inside it. Again with a heavy heart I thought that’s the end.

Just then, we saw wave after wave of people marching above us (Jalan Kinabalu). I stood there with my friend totally amazed. At first I was not too keen to join them as it was still raining heavily and not too far away a few patrol cars were watching. My friend then said, ‘Let’s go’. Well, the rest was history as they said.

What surprised me was to see a group of people in maroon t-shirts directing and controlling the crowd. They were doing an excellent job. Only later that I came to know they were from the PAS Unit Amal. They were not only there to control the crowd but to protect them as well putting themselves between the FRU and the crowd. I also saw them picking up rubbish after the event. My whole perception of PAS changed after that.

Another prejudice that was buried that day, was one against the Malays. I can’t deny that prejudice and resentment has been built up over the years due to the unfair economic and educational policies. But that day when I walked shoulder to shoulder with the crowd who were predominantly Malays, there was this sense of unity that I felt, like we are one. 1 Malaysia was there. No need empty slogans and rhetorics.

I started to chat with one pakcik who was walking beside me. He asked me where I was from and told me that he was from Kedah. He told me they have been cheated by the Government for so long and don’t want to continue to be cheated again. So that was why he was here. Well, now I came to realize that the Malays have also been victimized. The NEP has failed them. It only enriched and continue to enrich a few. Majority of them are still poor and will remained poor if nothing changes.

10/11 was a historical day. It contributed to the awakening of the rakyat and the dismal performance of the ruling party in the following GE. That’s why they are so fearful about Bersih 2.0. I have hoped that we don’t have to do it again. But after more than 3 years, things have become worse. The cheating has become more blatant as evident from the recent Sarawak state elections. We have a Government who is more interested in bringing about the downfall of one person than to govern. The very institutions that are supposed to protect the people are being used to oppress, intimidate and bully the people. I guess we can go on and on with what's wrong.

The present ruling coalition has been in power for 54 years and it’s about time it retires. We should not use any extra constitutional means to topple the government. The answer is in and through the ballot box. But if there is no level playing field, how can this be achieved? Hence, Bersih 2.0.

My dear friends, I have a family too. Two young daughters. If possible, I would want to stay home and be safe. But seriously, what future do you think our next generation has if there is no change. Well, maybe for some of you, you are able to migrate or send your kids overseas. For many of us who don’t have these options, we just have to make sure that things don’t remain the same.

Unggun Bersih

Semakin lara kita didera bara —

kita laungkan juga pesan merdeka:

Demokrasi sebenderang mentari

sehasrat hajat semurni harga diri.

Lama resah kita — demokrasi luka;

lama duka kita — demokrasi lara.

Demokrasi yang angkuh, kita cemuhi;

suara bebas yang utuh, kita idami!

Dua abad lalu Sam Adams berseru:

(di Boston dijirus teh ke laut biru):

Tak diperlu gempita sorak yang gebu,

diperlu hanya unggun api yang syahdu.

Kini menyalalah unggun sakti itu;

kini merebaklah nyala unggun itu.

* A. Samad Said adalah Sasterawan Negara Malaysia