My father’s Bersih 3.0 story

— Proud daughter

The Malaysian Insider

May 01, 2012

MAY 1 —I know there have been so many personal accounts of experiences from people present at the recent BERSIH 3.0 rally on 28 April. I’ve read many of them. But this could probably be the only account you read from someone who didn’t go, but was present only vicariously through my father whom i would’ve counted as the last person to participate in such gatherings.

While the BERSIH 3.0 rally ended at 5.30pm on 28 April for most, it was then that it begun for me when my mom sent me a message – “Papa went for BERSIH”. I almost couldn’t believe it. My dad? The man who doesn’t like strangers and crowds? The man who doesn’t like waiting for anything? The man who doesn’t like travelling further than 5km from his home for no good reason? The man who really doesn’t like it when things are beyond his control?

Too many thoughts and questions buzzed through my mind in the first 60 seconds after I got the news. Who did he go with? How did he get there? What time did he go? In which part of the city or gathering was he in? Did anyone watch out for him? But one question that kept playing back over and over was ‘WHY did he go?’.

It was hard to get all the answers as my dad doesn’t communicate much.
 I was told by my brother who was home that quite immediately after returning home safe, he was back in his comfortable crouch with his PSP – almost like nothing had happened. There must have been images of what he had seen that afternoon playing through his mind over and over, and a sea of thoughts and emotions over his experience for the day which was all too much to process immediately, let alone express. But over the last 48 hours, I’ve probed intermittently, because I am so curious to know the answers to my questions above.

He had decided take a chance to see how far into the city he could get by car, and soon found himself parking his car in Low Yat Plaza. He had intended to meet up with the group along Jalan Sultan, so he walked there. No salt. No wet towels. No protection gear of any sort. No video camera to prove he was there. No picketing boards or banners. He’d gone completely unarmed – just one person who wanted to be counted.

I am not sure in what chronological order he’d found himself in these places, but from Jalan Sultan he walked to SOGO, Jln Tun Perak where OCBC Bank is, and then AIA Building on Jalan Ampang before finding his way back to his car in Low Yat Plaza. When he told me the crowd he was with was shot at with tear gas I was so thankful that he had not gotten hurt. As was written in many other accounts, he said strangers with him offered him salt (with which he imitated their actions and put it in his mouth) and he was even offered a wet towel. Even at the tail end of the cloud of tear gas, he said his eyes were burning and it was hard to breathe.

That was as much information as I could get out of him. The only response he had to my question of why he went was because he felt it was the right thing to do.

I have been combing through the thousands of pictures posted on Facebook and on various blogsites, and patiently watching videos of the events of the day, trying to spot my father in the tremendous crowd. If I could just see where he was standing, with who he was standing and catch a glimpse of the expression on his face, perhaps I could have more answers to the questions I have about what inspired my father to participate in the rally.

My father’s solo voyage far beyond his comfort zone to be just one in hundreds of thousands, believing that it would make a difference has brought my realisation about the desperation of our ‘rakyat’ for a better Malaysia to a whole new level. For me, it really epitomises how the corruption in the system is affecting every Malaysian, and how much this BERSIH movement has moved the average Malaysian to believe that change can happen.

My reaction to my father’s willingness to humble himself and stand up for something he believes in is a reminder of the impact of leadership by example. When someone you look up to and admire is willing to oblige himself to circumstances that are out of his comfort zone by a quantum leap, it gives you the will to do the same – and truly believe that change is possible.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 2 May 2012, 3:32 am and is filed under
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‘Police became brutal after hearing rumours’

By
Koh Jun Lin
 | May 2, 2012

Malaysiakini

The police brutally beat up Bersih 3.0 rally protesters last Saturday after hearing rumours that one of their colleagues had been killed by the rally participants.

“The policeman beat me endlessly and said, ‘Oh, so you are the gangsters… because of you one of my friends has died,'” rally participant and police abuse victim Mohd Syafiq Shamsudin said in an interview at the Malaysiakini office on Monday.

Syafiq (left) said he and a friend, Munir Maktar, were among many yellow-clad protesters crowding the Bandaraya LRT station at 7pm last Saturday, waiting to go home.

Although they had purchased their tickets and were queueing to enter the platform, police suddenly came and pulled them away.

“Some managed to enter the platform and into the LRT coaches. Some couldn’t get into the station and they were all taken away. The police did not dare to enter the LRT station. Those sitting outside were blocked and pulled away, while those taking pictures had their cameras confiscated,” he said.

Dragged to Dataran and beaten all along the way

Syafiq said he was dragged to a nearby pedestrian bridge where he was beaten, dragged down the stairs, pushed down and then dragged again, beaten and stomped as he lay on the road. He was then dragged to Dataran Merdeka.

“Along the way to Dataran Merdeka, the policeman would drag me to each group of police present, where they would beat me. Then they would drag me to another group and they would beat me up again. They would scream and curse along the way, and also say, ‘Food! Food! Food!’

“It was like I was nothing. They said, ‘Food is served! Come! Come!'” Syafiq recalled.

“From 6pm onwards, it was as if the police had ran amok. Anyone by the roadside and anyone taking pictures would be arrested… they didn’t care anymore,” he said.

His companion, Munir (left), said he tried to photograph the policemen beating the protesters, but was spotted. He quickly put away his camera, but that did not save him from being beaten by the policemen.

He said he even showed his LRT ticket and told the policemen that he and Syafiq were leaving, but their pleas were ignored.

He said he was dragged away with Syafiq and beaten up. The memory cards of both his camera and mobile phone were seized.

Names tags and serial numbers missing

“There was no respite for my face and body from being beaten throughout the walk,” said Munir, who also noted that the police officers were in uniform, but did not display their name tags and serial numbers.

“The police should not have done that. They have a better understanding of the law and the procedures for arresting people, but instead they acted emotionally… The reason they beat me was that they heard rumours that a friend of theirs died,” Syafiq added.

“For a police officer, that is not a valid reason to beat anyone. Only gangsters attack people as they please,” he said.

Police in the aftermath of the rally announced that nobody had died during the protest.

Syafiq was later prescribed painkillers for the bruises he suffered all over his body, and eye medication for his bleeding eye, where the lower left eyelid was partially torn.

Munir too complained of pain throughout his body as a result of his beatings. He said his head above the left eye had been bleeding as a result of being elbowed, and still felt numb during the interview.

The two also denied resisting arrest, and have lodged police reports on their arrest and beatings.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 2 May 2012, 3:52 pm and is filed under
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Police car crash victim speaks out

By
Kow Gah Chie
 | May 2, 2012

Malaysiakini

Coming out to admit that he is one of the four Bersih 3.0 rally protesters a police car crashed into outside the Sogo shopping complex on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman last Saturday, Su Kuang Hong said he was doing so to clear the air on the matter.

He was coming forward, Su said, because of the efforts by the police to paint the crowd as an angry mob of rioters and to refute the inspector-general of police (IGP) Ismail Omar’s statement that there was no one pinned underneath the police car after the crash.

“I was hit by a Proton Waja police car,” said Su, 25, who is warded at Hospital Kuala Lumpur.

He claimed he was hit at the back and the impact threw him on to the bonnet of the car, which continued to move and its sudden stop soon after sent him crashing against a wall in front of Sogo.

As a result, Su obtained at least five injuries – on his forehead, jaw, wrist and thigh.

Su works as a service engineer with a government-linked company and is the first victim of the crash to speak up.

In an interview with Malaysiakini yesterday, Su said he lodged two police reports earlier yesterday.

He said the police officer who attended to him said he was the third complainant to lodge a report on the incident.

“I lodged the report because I want to be a piece of the puzzle so that the truth can be uncovered, and I need a record to claim my medical expenses,” Su said.

Trapped in a coffee shop for an hour

Su said he had an expensive medical bill, totalling RM6,789, because he needed treatment at a private hospital as well, with experts to ascertain if he had suffered internal injuries.

Su comes from a big family and he said on the rally day, he and 21 of his relatives went to Kuala Lumpur for the rally. Some of his relatives even flew back from Sabah and as far as China to take part in Bersih 3.0.

He said this was the first time he was taking part in a public protest because he wanted to see clean and fair elections held in the country.

Su and his relatives arrived at the city centre in the morning, and it was all over for them by 3pm and they went to have a drink at a coffee shop at Wisma Bandar on Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman.

“Then came the attack, the coffee shop operator acted fast and closed the main door… and we saw from inside how the police arrested protesters,” he said.

“Tear gas filtered into the coffee shop. It was hot and we had to struggle to breathe… our faces and eyes were burning from the chemicals,” he said, adding that  he spent one long and painful hour in the shop.

Su and his friends got back to the street to go home at around 4pm and he started looking for his other relatives who could not join them inside the coffee shop before the doors were closed.

“We went back to the Bandaraya LRT station, but it was closed, and we came under siege again, with the tear gas attacks coming from both sides,” he said.

Su said he was contacting his cousin with his mobile phone, while standing with the crowd in the middle of the closed road, when he saw a car driven towards them.

Saw the driver, but he seemed conscious

“I saw the police Proton Waja coming towards me (from the direction of Pertama Complex) and I ran towards Sogo to avoid being hit, but the car too headed the same way and I was hit,” Su said.

He was in great pain and felt dizzy after the crash, but was still conscious.

When he was taken into an ambulance van for treatment, he saw a police officer in uniform already inside and suspected he was the driver of the police car.

Some protesters, he said, opened the ambulance door and shouted angry words at the officer. A few blamed him, saying, “Itu sebab you… ada orang cedera (because of you, some people are injured).

“I was feeling physically hurt, but I felt no anger towards the police officer,” Su said.

Su noted the police officer moved agilely when asked by ambulance staff to move further into the vehicle, as the ambulance needed to fit in another wounded man on a stretcher.

The police officer who drove the Proton Waja that day, Mohamad Kamil Paimin, told the media that he had passed out, resulting in the crash, and be recovered consciousness only after receiving treatment at the hospital.

Su also showed two video clips that have been posted online after the incident with his laptop, and pointed to a man wearing a white shirt.

“That guy in white shirt, with both legs pointed to the sky, is me,” he said, pointing to the screen.

The video clip, titled “Kejadian sebenar Polis langgar 4 peserta BERSIH 3.0 depan SOGO (Real truth of police hitting 4 Bersih participants in front Sogo)”, is a
one-minute clip
 showing the police car plunging into the crowd.

Another
seven-minute clip
 titled “Insiden kereta polis langgar peserta Bersih (Incident of police car hitting Bersih participants)”, offers a more complete picture of the scene.

Police not entirely to be blamed

Su said the crash wasn’t entirely the police car driver’s fault for he had spotted something hit the man while he was driving.

He is also unhappy with the scene showing a few protesters attacking the police officer, saying it should have been a peaceful rally.

Asked about IGP Ismail’s denial that the police car hit protesters, Su said this was nothing unusual and from what he usually reads in news, the country’s leaders tend to distort the facts.

Su admitted he hesitated to lodge a police report and to speak up for fear losing his job. He only decided to do so on Monday.

“I am still under the six months’ probation… my company offers good welfare benefits, a five-day work week, 22 days of annual leave and insurance coverage,” he said.

“The company also partially subsidises interests on house and car loans taken by employees,” Su said.

Asked what would happen if the company sacked him, Su quipped, “Possibly I may have to look at joining politics.”

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 2 May 2012, 3:44 pm and is filed under
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Police rampage at Bersih 3.0 with excessive and indiscriminate use of police force would not have happened if Dzaiddin Police RC Report on world-class police service had been fully accepted and internalized in past seven years

“428” will go down in Malaysian history as one of the national milestones in the long and arduous struggle of Malaysians to reclaim their democratic,  constitutional and human rights promised them when the country achieved Merdeka 54 years ago.

The other recent landmarks of this struggle are:

Firstly, Bersih rally on November 10, 2007 (“1011”) bringing out  40,000 Malaysians in support for electoral reforms.

Secondly, the “Political tsunami” of March 8, 2008  general elections (“308”) which cut down the mighty Barisan Nasional down to size, winning five state governments for Pakatan Rakyat and depriving BN of its  two-thirds parliamentary majority.

Thirdly, Bersih 2.0 rally  on July 9, 2011 (“709”) with 50,000 Malaysians braving threats and intimidation, including mass arrests, city lockdown and campaign of demonization against the organizers and participants, in support for clean, free and fair elections.

Fourthly, Bersih 3.0 “sit-in” on April 28 (“428”) with the largest turn-out in the nation’s history – estimated between 200,000 to 300,000 in Kuala Lumpur – with Malaysians regardless of race, religion, political affiliation, region, age or gender uniting in a common cause for clean, free and fair elections.

There are two important lessons from the Bersih 3.0 rally of “428”.

The first is that the peaceful Malaysian democratic uprising is unstoppable and there is hope for the future of Malaysia when we see Malaysians regardless of  race, faith, class, region, age or gender coming out in hundreds of thousands  in common cause for clean elections and a clean Malaysian – for it is clear signal that despite the extremist and irresponsible politics of racial and religious polarization of late, there is a growing sense of national unity and oneness among Malaysians which  transcend racial, religious, cultural, regional, gender or age differences.

Never before has the country seen so many people, including sexagenarians (between the ages of 60 to 70) and  septuagenarians (between the ages of 70 and 80) as well as women and youths coming out of their comfort zone to take a public stand for a common national cause.

The sexagenarians and septuagenarians  are not doing for themselves, as they have passed their prime of life, or even for their children who are well-past middle-age, but the next generation to make up for their neglect and failure in the past five decades to take a stand and make a commitment for the national good.

In fact, the outpouring of hundreds of thousands of Malaysians regardless of race, religion, region, class, age or gender is the most impressive demonstration of the 1Malaysia that has been achieved in the country 54 years after nationhood and which  the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has made as his signature slogan when he became PM three years ago.

He should acknowledge and celebrate the successful demonstration of 1Malaysia in the “428” Bersih 3.0 rally, but it is testament of the hollowness of his commitment to 1Malaysia Policy that he has completely missed this important symbolism of the “428” Bersih 3.0 sit-in.

This brings us to the second lesson of the massive “428” Bersih rally – that Najib’s glib talk of government, political and economic transformation are just sloganeering without substance, political will or commitment to “walk the talk” and translate words into deeds.

If Najib is true, serious and sincere about political transformation, that he has learnt the lessons from the disastrous mishandling of the “709” Bersih 2.0 rally causing him to announce a raft of political reforms under the rubric of “Political Transformation”, then the “428” Bersih 3.0 “sit-in” which saw a carnival and celebration of multi-racial, multi-religious, multi-cultural diversity, unity and harmony until 3 pm that day would not have degenerated into a madness of police rampage against peaceful demonstrators through excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate use of police force, whether firing of tear gas, chemically-laced water cannon or downright police violence and brutality including wanton and completely unwarranted attack on media representatives.

Bersih 2.0 co-chairperson Datuk Ambiga Sreenivasan had announced at the Masjid Jamek meeting point at about 2.30 pm the successful holding of Bersih 3.0 rally mobilizing some 250,000 people in support for free, fair and clean elections and called for the ending and  dispersal of the crowd. The call for the dispersal of the crowd was also repeated by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who spoke briefly after Ambiga.

The government and police authorities, with all the most expensive and state-of-the art  communications system approved by Parliament, would have known of Ambiga’s announcement at 2.30 p.m for the dispersal of the crowd – which make the excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate use of police force, like firing of tear-gas and water cannon, half an hour later at about 3 pm completely unwarranted and unjustified even if there had been a breach of the Dataran Merdeka barricades. Even more inexcusable is the subsequent continued police rampage not only against peaceful protestors but also media representatives.

As the Bar Council in its interim report on Bersih 3.0 today has said, the “police brutality” in Bersih 3.0 is worse than in Bersih 2.0.

These are among the observations of the Bar Council on Bersih 3.0:

•Rally was peaceful until around 3pm when police fired teargas and water cannon.

• Use of force by police without any obvious provocation or cause, was far worse, indiscriminate, disproportionate and excessive.

• Police brutality was more widespread.

• There was concerted effort by police to prevent and stop any recording of their conduct.

• Police fired tear gas directly at the crowd in a way to box in participants rather than to disperse.

• There was retaliatory behaviour exhibited by rally participants against police wrongful use of force.

•Police were observed taunting and mocking the crowd.

• Police responded, stooped when participants threw items at them.

• Police personnel failed to display identification numbers on uniform.

The police rampage at Bersih 3.0 with excessive and indiscriminate use of police force would not have happened if Dzaiddin Police Royal Commission Report on world-class police service had been fully accepted and internalized in past seven years.

In 2005, the Dzaiddin Police Royal Commission of Inquiry Report made recommendations on transforming the Malaysian Police into an efficient, incorruptible, professional world-class police service  focused on three core functions to keep crime low, to eradicate corruption and to uphold human rights.

If the Dzaiddin Police RCI report and recommendations had been fully accepted and internalized by the police force in the past seven years, we would have seen a transformation in Malaysia to democratic policing from “regime policing” like colonial times, protecting and upholding the human rights of citizens instead of regarding peaceful protestors as ‘enemies” to protect the regime of the day.

When the police brutality in  Bersih 3.0 is even worse than Bersih 2.0, what “political transformation” is Najib talking about?

This is why  Bersih 3.0 is testimony of the failure of Najib’s “transformation” promises.

(Speech at the Perak Pakatan Rakyat Convention Ceramah in Ipoh at Red Crescent Hall on Tuesday, 1st May 2012)

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 2 May 2012, 11:45 am and is filed under
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Putrajaya moves to soothe journalists

Malaysiakini

May 1, 2012

Putrajaya has moved to soothe relations with news organisations following the aftermath of the Bersih 3.0 rally, where the police were accused of injuring at least a dozen journalists.

It is learned that Minister in the Prime Minister Department, Koh Tsu Koon, got the ball rolling during a meeting with editors from several Chinese dailies today.

Also present at the meeting were Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s Chinese affairs assistant Wong Nai Chee and press secretary Joan Lai.

During the meeting, at a restaurant in Petaling Jaya, editors were asked to share their views on Bersih 3.0 and comment on the alleged high-handedness of the police against journalists.

Meanwhile, all major news organisations will be meeting police representatives at a meeting at Bukit Aman national police headquarters tomorrow.

According to a source, the details of the meeting were not revealed to the news organisations, but it is believed to be related to the Bersih 3.0 rally.

However, Malaysiakini is among those organisations not invited to this meeting.

What was Hisham’s directive?

Earlier today, PKR vice-president N Surendran had accused the Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein of summoning media bosses to a briefing a day prior to Bersih 3.0, where he alleged they were instructed to play down acts of police violence.

Surendran said that PKR has evidence of this which proves that Najib’s vows to reform press laws ring hollow.

Although Malay and English newspapers have generally been muted on police violence against journalists on Saturday, Chinese dailies have been highlighting the issue up until today.

Yesterday, the China Press carried a front-page story with pictures of 13 injured journalists under the heading ‘Victims of violence at the rally, what did the journalists do wrong?’

The National Union of Journalists has also urged the authorities to investigate the matter and book errant police personnel.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 2 May 2012, 4:55 am and is filed under
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Seeing red after the smoke clears

By Sheila Santharamohana

The Malaysian Insider

May 01, 2012

MAY 1 — Last year at Bersih 2.0, I walked with friends for free and fair elections. This year, truthfully, I walked because I had had enough. The perpetual litany of lies, scandals and deceit by the present government which had become more conniving, arrogant and imperious was just too much to bear. Have they even tried to reform or do they take Malaysians for fools?

All my life, I was told to lead an honest, law-abiding and productive existence because this was how I contributed to society and my family. But this time, post Bersih 2.0 leading up to 3.0, I knew that it was no longer about just free and fair elections but more, even more than the 8 demands. So I joined in when the chants became political. So what? Sue me for being disillusioned.

As we drove into town the night before, I was tense. Last year, after being crushed in front of Maybank and cornered in Tung Shin, I came prepared for war. We took a convoluted route towards town because I was convinced the police would have locked the city down. The smooth traffic and apparent lack of police presence was unnerving but reassuring.

On the morning of the 28th, with my gear, including a pair of goggles, ready, I set out alone for Dataran Merdeka. Like last year, the sense of wonderment did not pale. A few metres away from the razor wire and the grim irony of a sign that read “Welcome to Tel Aviv”, I met two senior citizens who were joking about ‘Duduk and Bantah’, giggling about how they were well-past the age of sitting crossed-legged on hard ground! So, they shuffled arm in arm with their umbrella and bag towards Jalan Raja Laut where it was shadier and with better seating. Indeed, Malaysians find a way to make the best of what we have.

The sun was relentless. I yawned, hiding in the shade behind a group of girls. It was their day out: their ‘Hello Kitty’ bags slipping off their shoulders as they posed and took photos for Facebook.  Across the street, depleted picnickers in green were taking off their wristbands and the chants were petering out.

Hot, hungry and lulled into a sense of well-being, we sat on Jalan Tun Perak, quite unprepared for the tear gas when it came. But those cracks in the air and wisps of smoke in the distance were unmistakable. Just 15 minutes before, Ambiga, Anwar, Azizah had driven past, so how could things have turned so bad so quickly?

Clearly, it was to be war after all…

Reports are now centered on reducing Bersih 3.0 to a whodunit. Quite frankly, to me it doesn’t matter whether the barricade was breached or by whom but I have an ugly feeling that we were set up. This was part of the grand plan to paint us as willfully criminal and violent, that we deserved being shot at, trapped and hunted down. All of us were being punished for having the temerity for attending this gathering and now needed to be taught who was boss.

For those powerful unseen hands who ordered the attack, while you gloat in triumph even as you lay blame at our feet, please remember we didn’t fire the first salvo. You did.

For those in uniform armed with weapons the rakyat paid for, you comfort yourself that you did your duty but remember there’s no glory in using violence against the blameless and unprotected. You failed us.

Am I angry now? Hell yes!

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 2 May 2012, 5:20 pm and is filed under
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Taking sides

By Clarice CP

The Malaysian Insider

May 02, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, May 2 — I have a confession to make. I wasn’t sure whether I should attend Bersih 3.0 Rally until the day itself. My stand for a clean election has never changed but I kept changing my mind over attending the rally itself due to work and safety concerns. A friend upon knowing that said, the country’s doom is approaching and you are still worried about work? Of course, he put it in a cruder manner. Well, I thought, when theTitanic was sinking the musicians kept playing and that was actually one of the very few scenes in the film that moved me. But it’s too early to give up on our country, I told myself. I am not a supporter of any political party, organisation or individual. But I am a big fan of fairness and justice.

So I went with friends. We boarded a train and as soon as we disembarked at Pasar Seni we could already see the mass crowds. We joined them and sat on the ground under the hot sun. Later we started walking and when we reached somewhere in front of Reggae Mansion we could walk no further. We sat on the road chanting, singing, playing with balloons, snapping pictures. It was so peaceful and the atmosphere was indeed joyful. Ironic it may sound but perhaps it was because we were all enjoying the freedom of assembly and liberty that was not tasted for long.

In fact, I have never felt so safe and secured while walking around in KL. It was probably because I knew I was with the people who share the same belief as mine: We are against violence. We hold firm to the idea of democracy and view elections as the vital and sole legitimate way for the population to make decisions on public offices. Thus we demand clean elections so as to ensure the true will of the people to be accurately reflected. Fair rules and unbiased umpires will benefit all game players, as simple as this. Play fairly, that’s the rule we were told since we were kids.

Starting from 2pm we noticed that our phones couldn’t call out. But we stayed until around  3.15 pm when we were told to walk back in the opposite direction to where we came from earlier. My friends and I followed the instructions and thought it was time to leave. I joked by telling friends that we didn’t even get a glimpse of Dataran Merdeka! And it was then at a junction we saw a FRU truck at the far end of the road spraying water. Soon the initially peaceful crowds dispersed but even at such moments people were heard reminding those who appeared not to get panicked, just walk, don’t run.

Then we smelled the chemicals and knew tear gas canisters were shot.  Quickly putting on masks, we managed to squeeze into a restaurant whose workers were about to pull down its shutters. I covered my face with a towel and felt the burning sensation on my unmasked skin. My skin and eyes turned reddish. The others at the restaurant, including its workers, had tears running down and were coughing. People were helping each other, offering salt and water. And we were so touched by the angelic workers who generously gave us free water.

I really don’t understand why tear gas needed to be fired at the crowds far from Dataran Merdeka who didn’t even get the chance to see it on that day. Plus, the crowds with whom I was did no violence and in fact were already leaving. If the tear gas was meant to disperse the people the objective was achieved on the first shoot but why one after another blast on us there? When we calmed down after the tear gas attack those at a higher floor of the restaurant saw policemen hitting and arresting people on the street. It was such a horrible situation. I thought, are we already in a police state? Now, who are the ones losing mind and resorting to violence?

When things seemed to have calmed down outside we left the restaurant through its back door. On our way out, we said ‘Terima kasih’ to each and every worker there and all of them replied, sama-sama. I will never forget the warmth and graciousness we received from the good Samaritans that day. And I shall remember 428 as a day on which many thousands of Malaysians had firmly and bravely stood up for a priceless value, that is, righteousness.

A strong message was conveyed by the presence of the mass crowds on 428. The ruling party may choose to continue turning a deaf ear at their own peril. However the message was not aimed only at the ruling party but many more others who may still remain ignorant or indifferent as regards the problems nestling in our electoral system which have seriously  undermined democracy. You need not believe in any political party, organisation or individual but you should believe in fairness and righteousness. You should live a principled life and you must continue dreaming, desiring, believing, pursuing and insisting on the beauty of life such as justice, righteousness and balance. When you take the side of righteousness you will dispel the fear that has long been instilled in you simply because there is no fear in righteousness. When you take the side of peace, you will be in peace.

So, which side do you take?

*Clarice read law and understands “rule of law” is not simply about the citizens’ duty to obey laws but also about the lawmakers’ duty to legally use their power in law making and to pass non-arbitrary laws; and its ultimate objectives lie in restricting illegal use of power and thus preventing injustice pursued by the governing body.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 2 May 2012, 3:51 pm and is filed under
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They Were All Yellow – My Bersih 3.0 Story (daughter of retired FRU officer)

blog -Welcome to my complicated world

Monday, April 30, 2012

”For you I’ll bleed myself dry” – Yellow by Coldplay

Morning of 428. That was the song that was stuck in my head as I got

ready to attend Bersih 3.0 rally. I put on my yellow t-shirt and sang

”oh yeah, they were all yellow”.

I wasn’t there last year. When I read my friends’ accounts of Bersih

2.0 and watched the video footage, I cried. I had my reasons not to be

there and it was not because I didn’t agree with the cause. So as I

watched my friends and fellow countrymen got treated like pariah dogs

running away from dog catchers, I died a little inside. There was one

voice in particular, from the numerous videos posted, that still

haunts me till today. A young lady crying out to the police, ”Is this

what you stand for?! That you would hurt your own people?” Her voice

was used in one of the Bersih 3.0 ‘trailers’. And the anguish in her

voice echoed many of our sentiments. I on the other hand wanted to

shout back (into the monitor nonetheless) ”That is not true!” Because

if it is, my whole childhood would have been a lie. Let me explain.

My daddy served in the police force since he was 18, since the British

colonial times. I grew up with the police around me. But none closer

than the men and women of the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU). The riot

police as people call them. You see, my daddy was heading one of the

FRU units the last few years before his retirement. During Chinese New

Year, FRU families will cook for us and help my family host ‘open

house’. FRU trucks will be parked in front of our house, dropping off

policemen and women of all races. We were probably the only Chinese

family that served rendang chicken and roti jala during this season. I

understood the concept of ‘muhibah’ and of 1Malaysia way before Najib

made it into an enterprise.

At times when my daddy couldn’t pick me up from school, one of these

FRU men will come by and make sure I got home safely. I grew up

trusting that they will protect me. And they would do anything to make

sure no one harmed me.

So understand this. On 428, when tear gassed was fired, and I had to

run away from the FRU – the same people whom I trusted my life with –

it broke my heart.

I’m sure by now you would have read all you could have on what went

down that Saturday. You would have memorized the sequence of events

blow by blow. And I will bear testament to all you have read and

witnessed. Initially the atmosphere was fiesta like. I haven’t felt

such excitement from a crowd since World Cup Finals day in Paris back

in 1998. However, when things changed for the worse as I was running

away from the non stop tear gas ambush from Masjid Jamek to Central

Market, I kept my eyes peeled for anything that would resemble the

country I love. And here is what I witnessed.

People of all age, race and gender, turned to us and asked if we

needed salt or water. We came ill prepared because we actually

believed it wouldn’t turn ugly this year. All we had was a hand towel.

No one pushed, shoved or turned violent. No one looted, robbed or

stole (I think even the common snatch thieves decided to put down

their interest for the day for a bigger cause). We were all trying to

disperse but couldn’t because train services was stopped and tear gas

was coming from all directions. But in the midst of it all, the beef

noodle stall was still open for business and people stopped to eat.

How Malaysian is that? Standing by the sidewalks eating bowls of

noodles while the rest of us trying to find a way out of the ‘war

zone’.

As we walked towards Petaling Street, we came across DaiMaCai and

Sports Toto shops that were still open. It’s Saturday. So, life goes

on, yellow shirt or not. I saw a few chinese uncles telling each other

to stop from running away, they had to go buy number. Despite the mood

of the situation, I couldn’t help but laugh. I wanted to take a photo

of them, but the tear gas was being blown at our direction so I had to

keep moving.

We were walking towards the famous Air Mata Kuching stall in Petaling

Street. My husband wanted one cup of that magic potion, so we went.

There were tourists milling about the place, I think not really sure

what is happening. As we were approaching the stall, another group of

protesters ran pass us and shouted for us to go because more tear gas

was coming. Immediately I could feel my eyes tearing again. I quickly

covered my nose and mouth, and we ran into some back alley. By now, I

was just fed up.

We came out at the other side of the alley, emerged at the other end

of Petaling Street. “Do you still want the mata kuching or not?” I

asked my husband. “Should we?!” He was hesitant to walk back into the

same place where everyone was running out from. I said yes, took the

towel and covered my face, and walked right back into Petaling Street.

As we went ‘against traffic’, I had only one thing in mind. No, it’s

not that the air mata kuching was that awesome I had to risk getting

arrested for. Is that I refuse to be terrorised in my own country by

my own people. It’s a free country. I will walk to the stall and get

myself a drink, thank you very much. Eyes stinging, throat burning – I

drank the mata kuching.

Ok, trying to head to the Tau Fu Far stall next was a bit of a

challenge. So we walked on towards Central Market, trying to get on

the trains. I was finally able to Facebook, and quickly posted some of

my thoughts and pictures. When we were going up, people told us that

the trains had also been stopped at this station. I was surprised

though, not because the train stopped, but how calm everyone was about

it. I have seen worse reaction on a normal day from people during

unexpected train breakdowns heading back from work.

I got home safe and sound, back to reality. The next thought was, I

needed to face the wrath of my daddy. Sunday when I ‘debriefed’ him

and my family what went on, he explained about certain actions that

was taken. For instance, trains had to stop because high voltage

tracks and moving trains would have caused serious injuries to people

who would jump on tracks trying to flee the scene. People were denied

legal representation, and it was within a Police Act to do so for the

first 24 hours. The debate went on for a bit and my mummy finally

asked the mother of all questions, “So what did you all achieve that

day?”

I tried to answer, but under my daddy’s watchful eyes, meaningful

words failed me. So I turned on YouTube and showed my parents the

“Same Day Edit” video that most of my friends were sharing on social

media. Stunned silence came after. Where I could not find my voice,

80,000 other Malaysians help me speak up.

I am your typical Malaysian. A 4th generation Chinese born and raised

in Malaysia. I am a mother of two young energetic children. I am your

middle class average Jane Doe. I am a professional working 9 – 5. I

studied here, married here, worked here and have never lived abroad. I

did not go out on 428 because I have a terrible life. I did not go out

because I am not loyal to my country or her rulers. I did not go out

because I am a dumb wit bought by the opposition to cause trouble. I

went because I love my country. I went because I am Malaysian. And

thank you all who stood next to me that day to help me reaffirm that.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 2 May 2012, 3:21 am and is filed under
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When 70 & 80 year old people march…

(A personal account of husband and wife in their 70’s and 80’s participating in Bersih 3.0 and were tear gassed by the police)

Good, Bad and Ugly of Bersih 3

Tired, sleepy and aching all over, but have to write this down to get it out of the mind and system before I can sleep. So here is my account of Bersih 3 written at 11pm on 28 April 2012.

As law-abiding and not terribly brave senior citizens, we had opted out of Bersih 2 when it was banned, pronounced illegal, KL on lockdown etc. This time, like so many others, we decided we had to show our support for clean and fair elections. Needless to say we did not expect trouble, but prepared for it nevertheless – salt, wet towel etc in a backpack. We were confident the crowd would be disciplined and the police restrained after the debacle of Bersih 2.

At 10.30 am my husband and I caught the LRT to Pasar Seni. Packed train and the crowd chatty and friendly. From Pasar Seni at about 11am we strolled past the Central Market then along the embankment and down Tun Perak. Crowds gathering everywhere, standing around or sitting on kerbs along the road. We made our way through a very dense crowd near the corner of Tun Perak and Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman to find a place where we could sit that was raised a little above ground. [At 70 and husband almost 80, if we had tried to sit on the road or kerb we would have had great difficulty getting up again!].

Anyway, we found the ideal place. Three steps, then the pool of water below the water feature against a wall. Mostly occupied, but people made room for us. Standing on the second step we could see quite a bit. Could also sit on that step. One row of people behind us on the third step. It was cool and under shade. The perfect spot.

11.30 am: by now and the crowd was building up by the minute. I’d say 80% Malay, the rest Chinese with a smattering of Indians. We were getting more and more squashed, but could hold our excellent position. Very hungry by 1pm [forgot to bring food!] but could not move even 6 inches either way. I took pics. People as far as the eye could see in every direction. Perhaps about 40 or more rows of people in front of us – how dangerous this turned out to be later!

National anthem sung a few times and lots of chanting Bersih bersih, bebas bebas etc. All very pleasant despite the intense heat and hunger! Chatted with a 75 year-old smiley Malay pak chik who had come that morning from Pahang. A tundunged mak chik near me had come from Trengganu. Both simple folk, without too many words exchanged we felt the bond of being there for a common cause.

We couldn’t hear the speeches that were made sporadically and too many people in front of us to see who was speaking etc. But had good view of the WALL of police facing us along the front of Dataran.

One small thing that speaks volumes about the discipline of the crowd up till the panic began: thousands were sitting and standing before us, yet hardly anyone smoked. I had read it was one of the things NOT to do. That instruction was largely obeyed. Smokers would know how amazing that is; three to four hours of waiting with a certain degree of tension and excitement yet such restraint!

At about 2.30 pm Anwar made a speech, less than 5 mins, to much cheering, standing on some raised platform. Could see him but could not hear. Anwar finished and must have left. Could hear chanting BUKA BUKA BUKA. Suddenly saw frontlines moving forward towards Dataran just near where Anwar had been, and police RUNNING back. From our position it looked like they were really opening the barrier and letting the crowd into Dataran. Everyone near us cheered loudly and happily at this miraculous development!

Suddenly all hell broke loose. Without any warning [that we could hear], the water cannons fired and simultanously tear gas was lobbed right into the thousands in front of us. I thought we were so far back nothing would happen – the police would stop those who had gone past the barrier and the sit-in would continue or soon be over.

How wrong!!! They kept firing the tear gas canisters many many times right into the crowd – no break to allow people to run away. Pop pop pop they went, smoke everywhere. People running in every direction to get away. Hundreds came towards us – remember we were the very back line against a water feature and wall!! Nowhere to go and wedged in by hundreds of stampeding and panicked people. More and more who were gassed were coming at us to get to the pool below the water feature. We could not even get down off the two steps let alone get out our salt and towel etc. Panicked crowd pushed us and the others on the steps down and crawled their way over our bodies to get to the water. My husband was flat on his back, sprawled across the steps and couldn’t even sit up. I was pushed half into the pool, backpack and all. I somehow managed to crawl out of the pool, tried to help him sit up but couldn’t. Too many people climbing over us. By this time the tear gas had reached us too. Blinded and retching, coughing etc. Could not breathe or see to get out of there even if we weren’t being pushed and shoved backwards.

After some terrifying moments, the mass of people cleared and we got up and off the steps. With streaming eyes, coughing and spluttering, we tried to get away from the Dataran area. Stumbled our way to the back but met with more tear gas coming now from the Jalan Raja Laut area. Nowhere to run. How to disperse? Why were they trapping people by firing from front and back? Such confusion for everyone fleeing and not knowing where to run.

Seeing our distress, some young Chinese came and gave us salt, calmed us down saying ‘don’t run, just stay here, it will pass’. So we stayed put in midst of tear gas clouds and true enough the minute you put salt on tongue the symptoms subsided quite a bit. Then some Malays who had taken refuge behind parked cars below in a little vacant lot behind Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman called out to us “auntie uncle mari sini mari sini”. We staggered over to them. They gave us water and more salt and were so caring. From behind the car we watched people running everywhere with police chasing them. We decided we were staying crouched behind the cars till things cleared. Our companions all eventually left. We were alone in an eerie sort of calm.

Finally a bunch of policemen came by and saw us. One young lout yelled rudely MARI SINI. My husband walked slowly towards them butthe lout kept shouting at me. I then walked slowly towards him and said softly, jangan bising, kenapa bising, itu kurang ajar. He looked like he would have hit me. Luckily a police officer came up and said gently ‘come with us’. I asked, ‘Will we be safe?’ ‘Yes yes he said, we’ll take you out’. ‘So tell your man to stop shouting’. I said. And he did! The lout walked off.

We were escorted out near the Dataran and allowed to go. Police were everywhere escorting detainees and we were regarded with much suspicion by police and onlookers!! We made our way to the Selangor club. The gates were shut. We had to produce our membership card before they would let us in. What a sight we must have looked!! Wet, red-eyed and bedraggled. Rushed to the restroom and got out of wet bersih tees, dried the hair, [luckily we both had brought extra tee shirts.] Cleaned up as best we could and then sat down to tea and sandwiches, first food since b’fast. Good to feel civilised again!!. Now about 4 pm.

Around five we decided to catch the LRT home. Well, another drama! Cops everywhere outside Selangor club, lounging about smoking etc. Politely this time one said in Malay, ‘sorry uncle all roads to LRTs closed’. ‘How do we get home?, we asked. He shrugged apologetically and pointed down Jalan Raja Laut. Along the way, helpful people told us the only way out was the commuter train. Sogo, Masjid Jamek, and Pasar Seni LRT stations were all out of bounds.

Quite a walk along Raja Laut, then a climb up a steep hill, no real path, and finally climb over railings to get to the train. Couldn’t use overhead bridge as roads were blocked by police. All the way we were helped by young Chinese and Malays, pushing us from behind and dragging us ahead up the hill and over the railings! Amazing feeling and worth the whole nasty experience to experience this kindness from strangers. The train to Sentral and then the LRT to PJ were jam packed. Again the shared experience bonded everyone, young and old, all sharing what they had gone through to the strangers next to them. Everyone stunned at the force and extent of police reaction just becausesome had breached the barrier.

Only at home were the aches and pains noticed and felt! Far worse though was the mental shock that our POLICE would endanger the lives of young and old. They knew the crowd was so dense that escape was extremely difficult. They wanted us to disperse so why trap people in the middle by firing tear gas from the front and from behind too? And why were they chasing after people trying to get away from the gas? Old people, women and children had to run for their lives. It was not an illegal assembly, and they had succeeded in driving the crowd away from Dataran. Why then keep chasing all down the roads and alleys? Why close off the LRT stations so people could not leave for home easily? So many unanswered questions. It didn’t make sense.

But, I’m so glad to have done this – an eye-opener of how Malaysia could be, no race or religion mattered. People came to our aid. Most touching were the young Malay and Chinese boys and girls who tried to help us. The best and worst of human nature was on display. We are okay. My husband lost his towel and hat and has some scraped skin on his leg. It could have been so much worse. He got up and went to church at 6.30 this morning! All is well. So much to celebrate about Malaysia!

We ourselves are changed forever – less fearful now and if such a call were to come again from Civil Society, God Willing, we shall be better prepared to respond!

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 2 May 2012, 6:30 pm and is filed under
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428 Bersih 3.0: We allow peaceful assembly but won’t tolerate when it gets too peaceful with 200K crowd

by
Richard Loh

We came in peace and will leave in peace but alas many were not allowed to do so. You can make your own conclusion whether my blog title “We allow peaceful assembly but won’t tolerate when it gets too peaceful with 200K crowd” is true or otherwise after reading my article!

We have heard many asking, including a senior journalist why Bersih not taking up the offer of Merdeka Stadium. These people must be naive to believe what the government said after having experienced the flip flop offer on Bersih 2.0.

The main objective of the government is to prevent any Bersih rally from happening and should it happened some sort of provocations need to be initiated to cause chaos. You can bet that if Bersih 3.0 initially was to plan the rally at Stadium Merdeka, this venue will be rejected. Any initial venue proposal by Bersih 3.0 will be rejected to create confusion and frustration, hence Bersih 3.0 is smart this time round not to play their game.

Knowing that they cannot stop the rally, their next modus operandi is to create and cause as much inconvenience not only to those who are attending but other visitors coming in to Kuala Lumpur as well, to make them angry and hate any rally that is going on.I attended two anti ISA and two Bersih rallies and all the time they were very peaceful until the FRU started firing tear gas and water canon onto the peaceful crowd. Bersih3.0 is no different from where I was walking around, PEACEFUL.

I reached KL on Thursday afternoon and pay a visit to the two groups, #OcuppyDataran and #SolidaritiMahasiswa, they were still at Dataran Merdeka under the watchful eyes of DBKL personnel. No police around and the road leading to Dataran were not closed or blocked. Hanging around for a short while to lend support, I left half an hour later. Everything was very peaceful and you can see tourist buses bringing in tourists.

But the whole scene at Dataran Medeka changed when I return on Friday afternoon and night. Both ends of the road were blocked, nobody can enter and you can see groups of policemen inside. A group of about thirty plain cloth men, presumably the SB, were getting their briefing at the sitting area fronting the art gallery. Still no FRU truck in sight. Heard that they obtained a court order to completely shut down Dataran Merdeka. The order was pasted around Central Market, see pic below.

Late into Friday night, a couple of thousands were already rallying at the junction at Jalan Raja next to the LRT station. Heard they were from the #SolidaritiMahasiswa group. No FRU and policemen to stop them, the group singing and once a while chanting, BERSIH and REFORMASI. I left around midnight and feel that everything will be alright for tomorrow’s Bersih 3.0 rally but deep inside my heart I sense that they are not going to allow the rally to be peaceful.

I intended to sleep till checkout time but was awaken by a text message around nine. A friend were already at Jalan Sultan with thousands grouping up at that starting point. I was totally awaken when I look out from my hotel room, hundreds of people wearing the yellow Bersih 3.0 T-shirt were already streaming into Central Market. I regain full energy and get ready to join the group at Central Market.

I checked out from the hotel and walked around the Central Market area, Petaling Street and other roads leading to Dataran Merdeka. Everywhere there are people, most wearing yellow T. A few coffee shops were open and they were jammed pack with people, all trying to fill their stomach before the sit in protest at 2pm.

I walk towards the bridge near the bar council, the crowd were building up there as the bridge on this side were barricaded with barb wires. All the people were singing and chanting, festivity like and PEACEFUL.

As the clock ticks towards midday, there were already thousands of people, from Central Market, Jalan HS Lee to Jalan Tun Perak. The whole length of Jalan Tun Perak were really packed. I tried to walk towards Masjid Jamek, squeezing inch by inch but gave up half way near Mountbatten Hotel. When I reached Jalan HS Lee another group of people were streaming in, watch my amateur video. I stood at this point till 2pm when we were told to join the group at Menara Maybank. I walked towards Menara Maybank to see another big group over there.

I attended this rally joining the 200K or so people to show support calling for free and fair election, I came in peace and will leave in peace. By 3pm I saw many were leaving and I also decided to go home. From our end here we did not hear of the chaos happening on the other end as our phones were blocked by some jamming device since morning. The LRT station at Pudu Sentral were already packed when I reached there.

After lining up for nearly 20 minutes I managed to buy the ticket and was wondering why the station is till packed with people when the train are in operation. I went up to the waiting deck and soon realised why, the train was not stopping. I waited and 8 trains pass by without stopping even though they were less than half fill.

Yes, this time round they allowed you freedom to enter smoothly but will not allowed you to go back easily, an entrapment. I decided to go back to the street hoping to catch a bus or taxi but what a surprised, no buses and all taxis will not stop to pick you up even though they have no passengers. By this time entry to the LRT station were closed, nobody can enter. I met a few youths, theirs eyes were blurry and said they were tear gased. There is no where we can go except to hang around Jalan Pudu. We saw people running from Jalan Tun Perak around Menara Maybank and Petaling Street with white smoke as their background.

By this time we heard that the FRU and police were starting their major offensive, firing tear gas and arresting people, hitting anyone they caught including reporters. As more people pours into Jalan Pudu, I sense that I have to move away from here and start joining others walking towards Bukit Bintang.

My fear turns true that they are not happy when you gather too peacefully, they have to create some chaos to strike fear onto the general public. Both sides are blaming each other but even if it is true that a handful of rowdy protesters started the melee it does not warrant the police to start the big crackdown. This is exactly their intention, taking a very small opportunity to realised their modus operandi of total chaos.

I would like to point out specifically that from 9am till 3pm what I saw was a complete peaceful rally from my walk about till I settled down near Menara Maybank. The only thing the government fear is the success of Bersih 3.0 where the 200K people came to sit in for 2hours and leave peacefully within any incident.

View pictures at http://ousel.blogspot.com/2012/05/428-bersih-30-we-allow-peaceful.html

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 3 May 2012, 11:03 pm and is filed under
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A case of the empire strikes back

— Daisy Lee

The Malaysian Insider

May 03, 2012

MAY 3 — Since most readers wrote in describing their experience during Bersih 3.0. I wanted to have my say about this event as well. It was my first Bersih rally after hearing all the happenings at Bersih 2.0 last year, I regretted not going for the second rally. I vowed that I would go this time and I did. Most of the people whom wrote in described almost all of the happenings, the mass turnout, the atmosphere and from the cheerful first half to the horrific second half.

After looking through all the aftermath videos and pictures both from the mainstream media and alternative online media and social media, I questioned myself if it was a trap set purportedly by the authorities to contain and gang-bang the rally-goers!

I personally saw the sudden retreat of the entire police force, which were guarding the area, away from the barricades not long after the arrival of Ambiga and Anwar. I thought why the police are running away like rabbits when they are the ones with guns and batons (not to mention tear gas and water cannon)! Rounds of tear gas with water cannon trucks surged on, way off into Jalan TAR, Jalan Raja Laut and Jalan Tun Perak. Gas and toxic water was also spewing from Menara Maybank toward Jalan Tun Perak and from Bank Negara roundabout toward Jalan Parlimen. It was a no way out situation further with the closure of LRT operations at Masjid Jamek and Dang Wangi stations. I guess the entire blockade was planned out with the scrutiny of the hovering helicopters and para-gliders, mapping out where the yellow dots converge most below ground. How come during the commencement of the havoc, nearby LRT stations (as I know at least two – Dang Wangi & Masjid Jamek stations) were closed. Is it to entrap people so that all could be gassed and whacked?

It seems there were also two kinds of policemen there as well, some with serial numbers and some without, the humane kind and the monstrous kind. Some will help the participants to escape; some will hit the hell out of them. Whether they are good cops or bad cops, aren’t the entire police force to be blamed?  Not only the bad ones, the good ones especially, for allowing the thugs to go on a rampage, for not standing up for what is justice and for not protecting the people as they have vowed.

Why are the media, both local and international being clamped as well? To the extent of being harassed, cameras being confiscated and brutally beaten? Why? So that all these news are contained and not shown to the world? But alas, thanks to the advanced technology, and a not so well-planned plan, the people and the world still get to see. We may have lost the battle, but not the war. It is a case of The Empire Strikes Back… but not too cleverly done.

I am for one, and I am sure for most of the rally participants on that day, getting more sick and enraged at the situation here in our homeland. I do not want to be suppressed anymore, I do not want to runaway anymore; I will stand here and fight for my rights come what may!

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 3 May 2012, 11:57 pm and is filed under
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“A Day of Shame” for Media Freedom, Police Professionalism and Najib’s Political Transformation

Malaysia marks World Press Freedom Day today under the shadow of “A Day of Shame” last Saturday (Bersih 3.0 on April 28, 2012) for media freedom, police professionalism and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s political transformation.

Never before in Malaysian history have so many media reporters and photographers been the target of such ruthless, brutal and systematic police attacks while covering the Bersih 3.0 “sit-in” for free, fair and clean elections, making a total mockery of the recent amendment to the Printing Presses and Publications Act allegedly to allow for greater media freedom in the country.

It is an indictment of all the “transformation” programmes and promises of the past three years  that media freedom in Malaysia had never felt more endangered to the extent that media representatives and their supporters are marking the World Press Freedom Day by donning black with a yellow ribbon!

This is why I am wearing black with a yellow ribbon today.

When apologizing yesterday to the Malay Mail photographer Arif Kartono, who was attacked by seven to eight policemen who kicked him in the face, legs and stomped on his back and his camera damaged during the  assault despite clearly identifying himself with his media tag, the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar said:

 “Just because there are hooligans in the police force does not mean that the entire organization comprises of thugs.”

This is agreed, but what actions have been taken against these police “hooligans” who had marred the peaceful and successful Bersih 3.0 rally by 200,000 to 300,000 Malaysians regardless of race, religion, region, class, gender or age for a common national cause of a clean elections for a clean Malaysia by going on a rampage of police violence and brutality through excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate use of force against media practitioners and peaceful demonstrators?

Furthermore, how could this admission of police “hooliganism” square with the instant praise by the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein who had commended the police for their “professionalism and restraint” on Bersih 3.0.

I agree that the police had acted with “professionalism and restraint” last Saturday for which they deserve full commendation – but this police professionalism and restraint lasted until 3 pm that day.

Last Saturday, Bersih 2.0 co-chairperson Datuk Ambiga Sreenivasan had announced at the Masjid Jamek meeting point at about 2.30 pm the successful holding of Bersih 3.0 rally mobilizing some 250,000 people in support for free, fair and clean elections and called for the ending and  dispersal of the crowd. The call for the dispersal of the crowd was also repeated by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who spoke briefly after Ambiga.

The government and police authorities, with all the most expensive and state-of-the art communications system approved by Parliament, would have known of Ambiga’s announcement at 2.30 p.m for the dispersal of the crowd – which made the excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate use of police force, like firing of tear-gas and water cannon, half an hour later at about 3 pm completely unwarranted and unjustified even if there had been a breach of the Dataran Merdeka barricades. Even more inexcusable was  the subsequent police rampage not only against peaceful protestors but also media representatives.

This was why “428” was also “A Day of Shame” both for police professionalism as well as  Hishammuddin as Home Minister who could praise such police rampage of violence and brutality after 3 pm as commendable police  “professionalism and restraint”.

This is why Hishammuddin’s statement about an independent panel to investigate allegations of police brutality against journalists and protestors has failed to evoked any confidence, credibility or legitimacy.

If such an independent investigation is to command confidence and legitimacy, it should be a Royal Commission of Inquiry to  inquire into all cases of violence and brutality regardless of victim – whether police, journalist or protestor – and  whose composition of membership should be the outcome of consultation and consensus involving the Barisan Nasional government, the Pakatan Rakyat opposition, as well as major national stakeholders including Suhakam, Bar Council and Bersih 2.0.

Bersih 3.0 of “428” was also  “A Day of Shame” for Najib’s “Political Transformation” as police violence and brutality were worse in Bersih 3.0 than during Bersih 2.0 on July 9, 2011.

Until and unless Najib is prepared to make this acknowledgement, tender a public apology to all victims of police brutality and violence on “428”, establish a credible Royal Commission of Inquiry into the violence and brutality in Saturday’s Bersih 3.0 rally  and ensure that the law is fairly and equally applied to all law-breakers including those in the police force, his promise of “political transformation” as well as other transformation programmes would have lost all credibility and legitimacy and be totally beyond redemption.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 3 May 2012, 2:47 pm and is filed under
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Adventure of a lifetime

By Jean Yeoh

The Malaysian Insider

May 03, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, May 3 — Participating in the 428 Bersih Duduk Bantah is considered an adventure of a life time for me and LKG, she 68 and I 67, because we had to be prepared to dodge, run, and might get injured if tear gas and water cannons were used. However, as four years went by, being awaken by the 2008 tsunami, both of us were very well informed by the alternative media of the excessive blundering of our country’s wealth, we decided to participate in Bersih 3.0 to demand for clean and fair elections so that those who are really working for the welfare of our country will be elected into government.

I am luckier than LKG, because I had the blessing of my sons and daughters-in-law to attend the event as senior citizen. I told them since they could not participate, let me represent the family. I was very confident that I could come home safe and sound. LKG, being physically less fit thus fearing objection, did not have the courage to tell her family that she was attending Berish 3, had to lie that she was going out for lunch with some friends.

On the eve of our great adventure, I prepared a poster to state precisely my reason for participating in Bersih 3.0 — A Better Malaysia For Our Next Generation, Khas Untuk Cucu Jay Fu, Jojo Fu and Kylie Fu.

My daughter-in-law Ailene, being unable to participate herself, though very much eager to do so, excitingly prepared me well to go to WAR — trying to get a Bersih 3.0 T shirt for me, but in vain (out of stock), ear plugs (rumoured that police might use anti riot sound devices), towels, mask, salt water, yellow raincoat, sun block, list of legal advisers’ contact numbers in case of arrest, etc.

Ailene sent me to the Taman Bahagia LRT station at 9.30am. The train was packed literary like sardines, all youngsters, and only a handful of seniors like me, who of course were offered seats immediately (funny I did not experience such eagerness while travelling at ordinary times).

A man sat next to me saw my poster and snapped a photo to send to his UK son who was also participating at Bersih 3.0 simultaneously. The atmosphere in the train was very joyous, all looked as though going for a happy outing rather than a serious thing like a street protest.

At my destination, Pasar Seni station, the first excitement I met was people’s shouting “Pak Samad! Pak Samad!” There he was, a very humble-looking, frail old  man standing in front of at least eight policemen who looked like bodyguards (found out only later that he was standing there protesting that he was barred from crossing the connecting bridge he usually took to go to the mosque). Of course I did not miss the opportunity to snap a picture with the celebrity, co-chairman of Bersih 3.0.

My friend LKG arrived 30 minutes later. As it was still early, we decided to look for food. Out of the station, the next excitement we had was meeting ex Perak MB Nizar with his beautiful wife. We managed to take a photo with them too.

Most shops around Pasar Seni were closed, the only one that opened in Petaling Street was having a monopoly. We ate there and LKG changed into her Bersih 3.0 T shirt, not daring to wear from home in case her family found out her real intention.

It was then 11am. Petaling Street was already packed with protesters, and isolated small groups happily paraded along the streets. We joined a group of Malay youngsters in black who used chairs as drums while chanting slogans (or prayers?).

While resting at the road side after the parade, I happened to look at the gentleman standing not far away. At once I recognised him. “Tony Pua!” I shouted. That started a commotion, everybody nearby started to queue up to take photograph with him.

After successfully taking a picture with him, LKG commented “Pure thing, look at his white hair, all over only after four years as MP. With his qualifications, he could have migrated to other countries and have a good life. Why stay in this rotten Malaysia?” I replied “because he loves Malaysialah. We must have more young people like him who really sacrifice for the good of the country, don’t forget that’s why we are here to petition for a fair and just election!”

Tony, my hat off to you. We Malaysians are very grateful to you for your good work.

Another commotion started soon when Aunty Bersih passed by. Many youngsters stopped her to take pictures.

I said to LKG Aunty Bersih Anne Ooi was my junior in the teachers’ training college, she was a joker and so full of energy.

“Let’s go and take a photo with her,” said LKG.

“Not this time, I doubt she can remember me. I don’t want to disturb her this time,” I answered.

Maria Chin Abdullah came around twice giving instructions to our group at Petaling Street, to wait for the signal to move. She also reminded us to be disciplined. At about 12.30pm, we started to walk orderly in a carnival mood, as Malaysians, irrespective of race or religion, started singing songs to the tune of “Bersih Bersih Bersih, Bersih Bersih Bersih”, chanting the slogan “Hidup Bersih, Hidup Rakyat”. I felt that I was only 25 instead of 67! Thank God for giving me a chance to share the wonderful patriotic moment with fellow Malaysians who, for the love of our country, risked facing tear gas and water cannons, and worse still, arrest or injury. When we sang “Negaraku” in unison in truly Malaysian spirit, it put the dirty politicians who asked the Chinese and the Indians to balik China or India for trying to divide us for their evil ends to shame.

We had the admirable PAS Amal team to lead the way and control the crowd. We estimated that there might be as many as 100,000 this time, twice bigger than the size of Bersih 2 (so thrilled to find out later that the crowd might be as big as 300,000! Bravo fellow Malaysians!). The road, the pavement, the LRT station platforms, the five-foot ways, even the walls, were packed with very law-abiding protesters, some had to keep standing because there was not enough space for all to sit down.  There were some short speeches at the end of the road on a make-do platform. We could not hear what was said because hailers used were not meant for such a huge assembly. However, we felt that it was good enough when we shouted and sang our hearts out spontaneously whenever someone took the lead. In short, we enjoyed and felt proud every minute being part of such an enormous yet so orderly a gathering.

At about 2.30pm, we were told to disperse. Though it was 90 minutes earlier than the scheduled time, I felt that the organisers had made a wise decision to end it there and then as the objective was achieved.

Hardly had we reached the end of the road when retreating, a bang was heard and we saw smoke rising. LKG said that it was tear gas. I was wondering why fire tear gas when the crowd was walking away so peacefully. It might be some people who seemed not satisfied that the assembly ended so peaceful that nothing much could be remembered so they made some confrontation, or might be the police wanted to show the bosses that they were doing their job indeed??

When we were on the train going back to Taman Bahagia, we heard announcement that Masjid Jamek and Pasar Seni LRT were shut down. I was angry with the operators for being so inconsiderate, because it would surely leave thousands of protesters stranded, while at the same time felt relief that we were wise enough to go home as soon as the event was over.

After gathering facts on all what happened after we left, I have this to say:

The party that had to be held responsible for the ugly ending is the government. If the protest had been allowed sincerely without last-minute restraints, such as closure of Dataran Merdeka with barbed wires; stopping and hindering the operation of public transport such as the LRT, buses and taxis by blocking more than 60 roads; giving last-minute court orders, imposing threats, etc, Bersih 3.0 could have been run successfully like the Himpunan Hijau protest in Kuantan and all 428 Bersih 3.0 in other states where no pressure was applied.

Comparing the trend of the gangster attacks that happened recently in Dataran Merdeka, the ABU, Anwar and Nurul’s ceramahs, I saw a similarity that makes me wonder too if the ones who started the trouble were paid to smear the good name of Bersih. If they were genuine Bersih supporters, then police should make an effort to do a thorough investigation to bring the culprits to court. We do not want these lawless thugs to be Bersih supporters.

PM Najib still “could not care less” that more than 300,000 had bravely taken to the streets to voice their discontent over his government’s wrongdoings. More and more people, including kampung folks whose offspring are now Internet literate, know about all those in power who are plundering the country’s wealth to enrich their own pockets, leaving the majority still poor, mentally and physically. No matter how many 1 BRIM you give, (mind you, you are using our taxes in advance!) you will not be able to buy our votes. If the electoral fraud is not corrected, and BN wins in the coming G13 , then there might be a real Malaysian Spring in the way, because with another four or five years of BN rule, our country will definitely run dry! Can we just let those people rob us in broad daylight and not do a thing?!

I salute Suaram for successfully fighting to bring the corrupted to book in a foreign court. But for fair and just elections, we can only rely on the unity of all right-thinking Malaysians to work with Bersih. If we should need Bersih 4, which is quite likely as Najib may be too scared to call for GE13 in June, I hope more people will bravely go to the streets to let our voices be heard. Make it a million next time!

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 3 May 2012, 6:07 pm and is filed under
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Bersih 3.0: Here they come, the beautiful ones

By
Praba Ganesan
 | May 03, 2012

The Malaysian Insider

MAY 3 — The biggest protest in living memory for Malaysians.

An impressive chunk of Malaysia rallied all over the country and in foreign cities to express their political convictions. No analysis from one person is going to change the new national reality: The people are here, and they’ve got something to say.

Except for one deputy minister, also an Umno supreme council member, the government of the day is not listening to the underlying message. They’ve opted to highlight all the weaknesses in the chain and ignore the rest.

This is why the crowd will swell in the next edition.

Those who rule can’t just say the time of government knows best is over, they have to start acting like the time of government knows best is over.

Because right now, how most of us see it, it’s all talk.

Let’s go through the issues related to Bersih 3.0.

A national awakening is upon us, and no level of spin alters the reality. Our people are speaking, and they will continue to.

They started it first, no?

Umno’s media zeroes in on the “unlawful” entry of individuals into Dataran Merdeka. This needs some breakdown.

The square is a social meeting place all year round. It is also a major and cheap dating spot. Boyfriends around the Klang Valley have saved Saturdays from ruin by biking down with their partners.

Go down to the square anytime this week — now that the court order has lapsed and the barriers removed — sit right in the centre and then consider.

Barisan Nasional (BN) did not want Dataran to be the stage for those opposing them. Even though BN has its events there all the time. The police would be outside the square then, directing traffic, mapping out movement, escorting BN leaders with an ever-expanding team of outriders and ensuring the VVIP seats are protected. Caterers work around the clock.

That’s Dataran Merdeka circa normal days.

BN does not want Dataran to showcase its opponents. The symbolism is dangerous to its own political survival. Political fights are almost always about symbols.

They were disingenuous when they went all out to close down Dataran Merdeka to fellow Malaysians. It is vital to remember this background when examining what transpired in Kuala Lumpur during Bersih.

The police, public transport companies, City Hall and every agency under the federal government were intent on disrupting Bersih. And it was not because of law and order.

Only the most ardent BN supporter would say with a straight face that the issuing of the court order was impartial. It had politics written all over it.

That’s the space, the actors then.

If the police were genuine in wanting to avoid any violence, they would use violence as a last course, not a convenient one.

If X number of people encroached into the disallowed area, then they must decide if the group is charging at the police or charging into the space. Our police and mainstream media have a long history of playing up any transgressions by everyday Malaysians against the police, so if the police were attacked by unarmed people, it would be heavily reported.

In summary, they would endeavour to force back those who encroached, if possible without force.

Is this the harder route? Yes. But this is exactly why policemen are trained. To hold them to a lower standard is not fair even to them.

Instead, they opted for the “let’s-have-a-go-at-them” method. Tear gas fired and water cannons unleashed, followed by batons.

Dataran Merdeka’s shutdown was political and the police went with full anti-riot force at the first opportunity.

There are some who expect all those who oppose BN to meet a higher standard of engagement, while not applying the same demand to BN. When one side is continuously and consistently unreasonable, can their opponents when they display levels of unreasonableness in retaliation be heavily criticised?

Even if you reject the “be unreasonable with the unreasonable” method, you are still forced to ask why did the police go after everyone, not just those who encroached. The tear gas canisters were dropping and sliding everywhere the crowd was, far beyond Dataran Merdeka.

They must have been mindful that the large turnout meant that people were like in a sardine can. Lobbing tear gas at these groups, standing idle and cramped is asking for a stampede. Only the sense of community and civic duty of the majority of the participants prevented mangled bodies on the streets.

Second, when the area was secured, why did the police pursue groups, individuals all around the city for hours? Most just wanted to get home, and with public transportation blocked off, they ended up being prey for the police.

You people, you gorgeous people

While the police and encroaching protesters are taking up all the media coverage, the main success of Bersih is being under-reported.

Hundreds of thousands of Malaysians are willing to put their money where their mouth is. They’ve left the kedai kopi (coffeeshop) and are putting a face to their unhappiness. Objection to the state has always been a discreet conversation. Not anymore.

Bersih announced April 28 as rally day, three weeks ago. It did not need to goad, tempt or canvas the people.

The people just showed up.

It must frighten those in the corridors of power in Putrajaya — a place with oversized buildings with poorly-maintained toilets.

A typical BN event requires a lot of money to get attendees.

But Bersih just had to announce the event. The people were eager and were hunting high and low for Bersih T-shirts.

They were organised. Expecting access to the city to be curtailed, they worked the problem. They co-ordinated their friends. They strategised.

And there was ingenuity. Balloons, giant blow-up balls, banners and other accessories.

People were taking pictures, posing with the police in the background.

It was a carnival until police action turned things sour.

The thousands in Kuala Lumpur, other locations in Malaysia and abroad are not Pakatan Rakyat supporters necessarily. They were there because they want a better political stage and environment. They are done with the hush-hush manner of running a country.

They are stockholders, not employees. They want access, consideration and their voices heard. They don’t like to be told or lied to.

These aspirations are not new, they have been the focus of online debates and discussions. They have decided to stand together in the open and make a stand, finally.

Though Najib and crew will play up the isolated violence, non-verbal communication, a smashed car and those arrested, their internal discussions will veer to the new Malaysia they are confronting. It is not just Anwar or Ambiga, they have become many and they cut across race, religion and income class.

There will be a rethink about the general election timeline at PWTC now.

That being said, the real winners of Bersih 3.0 were the rakyat. The people are ready to take charge.

They own the country, not just live in it.

__

Praba Ganesan is Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s Social Media Strategist. He wants to engage with you, and learn from your viewpoints. You can contact him at
[email protected]

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 3 May 2012, 12:03 pm and is filed under
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Bersih from Down Under

— George Lee

The Malaysian Insider

May 03, 2012

MAY 3 — Ever since the inception of the online alternative media where overseas Malaysians are given opportunities to articulate their views, we have never come close to any break to put words into action until the Bersih movement was launched. We have been called “turncoats” many times over because we choose to live outside Malaysia. However, many of us took these unwarranted comments in our stride. In our hearts, we know that we can still contribute to the betterment of Malaysia in many channels as we never cut ties with our homeland completely. Most importantly, our love for Malaysia grows ever strongly as living apart makes our hearts grow fonder. Hence, when the Bersih movement came to town, we did not hesitate to be part of the flock as we knew this was a time for us to contribute to this cause in a non-partisan manner.

Standing amongst your countrymen at Federation Square singing “Negaraku” was so poignant and gratifying but the feelings were soon eclipsed by enormous worry for those assembled in another “Square” back home. It is so ironic to think that both “Squares” have similar historical milieu but have contrasting destinies when it comes to peaceful assembly. When the Global Bersih co-ordinator asked us to pray in silence for those attending a similar assembly at the forbidden “Square” back home, our hearts sunk to an unprecedented low when we think about our love ones who would come face to face with the Federal Reserve Unit and its free firing weapons.

At the congregation at Federation Square, students, professionals, past student activists, retirees, local social activists and members of Parliament were amongst those who stood up to share their voices. There was so much to say in so little time. Many in the crowd would have loved to relate their aspirations coming to the Bersih 3.0. As a professional driving instructor, I have the privilege to meet many overseas Malaysians from all walks of lives with their joyful and sorrowful tales. Many agreed that only with free and fair election we will see things change for the better in Malaysia. There are just too many unmerited issues surrounding the present electoral system including the recent revelation that the Election Commission heads are aligned to a pro-government political party. To me this is not acceptable (if it is true) as these people are no ordinary persons but individuals who are tasked to run and manage the electoral process. They must show that there are impartial but their political inclinations say otherwise.

It is our hope that Bersih’s aspirations will be met and a deserving government and leadership will reign for the betterment of Malaysia. As overseas Malaysians, we are committed in seeing truly free and fair elections get under way without delay.

Finally, to all my relatives and friends who attended Bersih 3.0 in Malaysia, I am impressed by your immense bravery in spite of the predicament you know you would encounter. Your love for your country surpasses all the fears in you. I salute you all.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 3 May 2012, 5:13 pm and is filed under
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Claiming back our freedom

By
Muaz Omar
 | May 03, 2012

The Malaysian Insider

May 3 — American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr once said, “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”

How apt the quote is. We have just experienced how the people have spoken to regain their freedom, demanding a return of their right to free and fair elections.

We live in interesting times. Malaysia is in transition, with most hoping that decades of injustice will be undone.

The oppressed is not simply of one particular race. It is a vast segment of ordinary Malaysians from all walks of life.

Many blame this on the almost undisrupted domination of Umno for the past 55 years. They say this has resulted in regression of the nation’s social and political facade.

While Umno continues to beat the drums of nationalism, their oppressive nature has turned them into an extreme and racist beast.

As the nation and its people developed and progressed, Umno has dragged its feet, not wanting to accept that the social and political fabric has changed.

They are trapped in their old ways continuing their archaic doctrine of oppression, rampant corruption and abuse of power as well as propagating religious and racial tensions.

Half-hearted and watered-down transformation policies by Prime Minister Najib Razak failed to diminish the desire of Malaysians for a better deal.

The people are not impressed by the lack of political will.

This resulted in the resounding success of Bersih 3.0 on April 28 in Kuala Lumpur and 80 other cities around the world.

Hundreds of thousands, mostly young, of all races attended the gathering in Kuala Lumpur peacefully until the riot police took action.

Ordinary Malaysians were beaten up and tear-gassed. Even local and foreign media personnel were manhandled, some with their equipment destroyed and confiscated.

This black mark on Malaysian democracy reaffirms concerns that Najib lacks the desire or the will to reform.

His much-touted Peaceful Assembly Act did not provide any democratic civil rights to the people but is used to forcefully maintain the hegemony of his own party.

In short, Najib continues to engage in repressive and authoritarian tactics of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The tenacity as well as desire of Malaysians for substantive change was evident during the rally.

As Najib and Umno-BN leaders try to downplay and dismiss this demand by shifting blame and pointing fingers, Pakatan Rakyat needs to listen closely to Malaysians and not misread or take for granted their desire for change.

The people swarmed the capital with the intent of claiming back their freedom; they are tired, they are fed-up, and they are angry.

Change is coming and its looming close on the horizon.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 3 May 2012, 12:29 pm and is filed under
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Free press rank will drop after police assault on reporters, says DAP

By Ida Lim

The Malaysian Insider

May 03, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, May 3 — DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng today suggested that Malaysia will have a lower ranking in the World Press Freedom Index as a result of violence against reporters in Penang’s anti-Lynas protest and the Bersih rally for electoral reforms.

“There is no doubt that press freedom in our country is deteriorating and getting more restricted,” said Lim, referring to last Saturday’s Bersih sit-in protest where the police allegedly beat up reporters and destroyed their equipment.

“The fact that the police did indeed beat up members of the media is irrefutable,” he said.

“Worse, BBC and Al-Jazeera’s news coverage was censored by Astro for breaching local content regulations. To date, neither the Home Ministry nor Astro has clarified what the local content regulations were,” said the Bagan MP.

The two international news providers had complained that Astro had edited their coverage of the Bersih rally.

Lim said that Malaysia went up 19 places to the 122nd place out of  178  countries in the 2011-2012 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders.

However he said that Malaysia’s ranking “is set to take a dive” as a result of the violence against reporters.

He also said that Malaysia used to be 92nd in the same index in 2006.

The Penang chief minister remains sceptical over the effectiveness of police investigations over police brutality in the Bersih rally, citing the February 26 anti-Lynas protest in Penang where no action was taken by the police on ‘gangsters’ who beat up reporters.

“Until and unless an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) is formed and the Printing Presses and Publications Act abolished, there will never be true press freedom in Malaysia,” he said in his statement on World Press Freedom Day.

Local censors had also slashed media coverage of last July’s Bersih protest in Malaysia.

Following the election watchdog’s last July 9 rally, censors had blacked out parts of an article in The Economist, which had called Putrajaya’s handling of the event overzealous.

The article titled “Taken to the cleaners — an overzealous government response to an opposition rally” had chronicled the chaos on July 9 when police fired chemicals to disperse tens of thousands who had gathered to demand electoral reforms.

Among the parts blacked out were mentions of the heavy-handedness by the police and accusations that the government had withdrawn its offer for protesters to use a stadium for the rally.

The Home Ministry had also used black ink to blot out portions of the article that mentioned the death of one protester and the alleged bombardment of chemicals into the compound of the Tung Shin Hospital.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 3 May 2012, 5:19 pm and is filed under
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NST admits and regrets ‘anti-Islam’ report against Oz Senator

By Clara Chooi

The Malaysian Insider

May 03, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, May 3 — The New Straits Times (NST) has admitted to falsely reporting that Australian Senator Nicholas Xenophon had criticised Islam in 2009, saying today it regrets the mistake and will take steps to make amends.

In a three-paragraph statement to The Malaysian Insider, the Umno-owned daily said that Xenophon, a known associate of Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, had not called Islam a “criminal organisation” as reported in its article yesterday but had instead used the label to criticise “Scientology”.

The remarks issued by Xenophon were purportedly made during the latter’s adjournment speech in Australia’s Parliament in 2009.

NST also pledged to publish an “appropriate statement” on the issue in both its print and online editions, adding its regret to any distress the incident may have caused the independent Australian Senator.

The NST’s response, in verbatim, is as follows:

“We refer to the news regarding Mr Nicholas Xenophon’s complaint in respect of the article entitled ‘Observer Under Scrutiny’ with a sub-title ‘Impartiality Questioned: Anti-Islam Australian Lawmaker Comes Under Fire’, which appeared in the May 2, 2012 edition of the New Straits Times published by us.

“We regret that the article attributes certain statements to Xenophon, particularly the use of the word ‘Islam’ which he did not make in a parliamentary speech in November 2009. We are taking steps to make amends including publishing an appropriate statement in our newspaper and its online version to address the issue.

“We truly and sincerely regret that Xenophon has suffered any distress and embarrassment arising from the article and we honestly believe that that steps we are taking to make amends will resolve the matter.”

Earlier today, NST head Abdul Jalil Hamid confirmed that the paper was investigating claims that it had misreported Xenophon’s three-year-old speech, which had effectively painted the Senator as anti-Islam.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) today, the independent senator is fuming from the “extraordinary attack” against his impartiality and is contemplating legal action against the NST, which had carried the article yesterday.

Xenophon also told the Australian newspaper that NST’s alleged use of the word “Islam” to replace the actual term “Scientology”, which he had criticised in his 2009 speech, was “an example of the kind of dirty tricks the ruling party employs and had used against the Opposition Leader Anwar”.

The NST has since removed the article from its website, but cached copies can still be found of the offending story.

In the NST article, Xenophon was not only accused of insulting Islam during his 2009 adjournment speech in Australia’s Parliament, but was also said to have expressed strong support for the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community.

The NST’s extract of the speech quoted the senator as saying: “What we are seeing is a worldwide pattern of abuse and criminality. On the body of evidence, this is not happening by accident; it is happening by design. Islam is not a religious organisation. It is a criminal organisation that hides behind its so-called religious beliefs.”

But in the excerpt from the Australian Parliament’s Hansard, cited in the SMH, Xenophon had actually said: “What we are seeing is a worldwide pattern of abuse and criminality. On the body of evidence, this is not happening by accident; it is happening by design. Scientology is not a religious organisation. It is a criminal organisation that hides behind its so-called religious beliefs.”

A cached version of the article can be accessed here: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:XMnViJIl4rEJ:www.nst.com.my/nation/general/observer-under-scrutiny-1.79786+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=my (http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:XMnViJIl4rEJ:www.nst.com.my/nation/general/observer-under-scrutiny-1.79786+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=my)

According to the NST, Xenophon had also appeared to express support for same-sex marriages in the same adjournment speech, purportedly claiming that other lawmakers agreed with him and such unions would eventually be allowed by law.

The paper quoted PKR-turned-independent MP Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohamed Hashim as criticising Xenophon for his words, saying that the latter was not only outspoken against Islam but also supportive of the LGBTs.

“Should we let someone like Xenophon influence our culture and moral values through politics? By confiding in Xenophon, is Anwar also supporting the LGBT movement?” he asked, according to the NST.

SMH, however, did not dispute the NST’s report over Xenophon’s alleged support for homosexuality.

But the paper claimed that the NST had refused to comment on the issue last night.

Xenophon was among the team of international observers or the “pre-election assessment team” invited into Kuala Lumpur by Anwar to look into the country’s electoral reform attempts.

The team was on a six-day mission from April 25 and was tasked to interview local government and political leaders, before compiling its recommendations on how Malaysia could have a clean and fair polls process, which the country’s opposition leaders have insisted does not exist here.

They had also observed last Saturday’s rally for free and fair elections by Bersih and in an immediate response to the event, Xenophon had insisted that the rally-goers were well-behaved and even festive, instead of unruly as claimed by government leaders.

As a result, Xenophon has come under fire for his allegedly blinkered support for Anwar, with questions raised over his independence and impartiality.

                This entry was posted on Thursday, 3 May 2012, 6:40 pm and is filed under
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