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.