Cop: Use of excessive force was wrong

Teoh El Sen | July 13, 2011

Free Malaysia Today

There were special police teams who were already targeting those leaders behind the rally, such as Bersih chairman S Ambiga, says a policeman.

EXCLUSIVE

KUALA LUMPUR: The police force has been denying the use of violence during the Bersih 2.0 march on July 9. But among them is one lone voice who condemned the use of violence on the protesters.

A brave policeman said the use of excessive force when arresting Bersih 2.0 marchers was uncalled for and wrong.

The policeman who was in charge of making arrest spoke to FMT on condition of anonymity.

“Those policemen who hit the people are in the wrong. They can actually be charged… Even if you want to say you were forced to do it, that you were attacked first, it should not reach such a stage as what we’re seeing in the video footages.”

“Usually when we make arrests, the most we do if the person struggles and fights back is to make him lie down and use our knees to stop him. Not continue to beat or kick him, even after you handcuff him. That is wrong.”

He said on that day, he witnessed groups of policemen crowding around a suspect and hitting him, with some even using batons.

Asked if there were any instructions from the top to start using force on demonstrators, he said that the orders did not come from the top officer who briefed them a week before the rally.

“But there were other high-ranking officers who told us to just hit if we felt like (the situation warranted it ), using violence. However, we were also told to assess the situation and the location before using violence ,” said the policeman.

The policeman said that he himself did not agree with hitting people and he refrained from using too much force.

“Also, there are a lot of people taking photos including our own photographers. We have to think properly before we do something like that; we could be charged in court and I am not sure if my superiors would defend me if I did something like that,” he said.

Pressure and stress

Explaining why he thought many policemen were seen using excessive force, the policeman said the amount of pressure and stress could have been a factor.

“There were many who were frustrated, tired, and hungry that day. We had very little sleep and had to be on standby early in the morning and were without food until late in the afternoon. There is also a lot of pressure from our superiors… and when things start to unfold, you become different, angry,” he said.

The policeman said the previous Sunday and Monday, the team of more than 1,000 in the “arrest squads” were briefed by Bukit Aman criminal investigation department director Mohd Bakri Zinin.

“We were told ‘don’t be afraid, just arrest’.”

“We were ordered to arrest those wearing yellow T-shirts and those who refused to disperse when ordered, including those who fought back or insulted the police,” the policeman said, adding that policemen were roped in from all the states except Sabah and Sarawak.

He said that in the police crackdown, there were two types of arrests – arrests of quality and without quality.

“Those from the first category were those who wore Bersih T-shirts or those VIPs or leaders of the rally. They were brought to the Jinjang police station.”

“Those from the non-quality category were brought to the Police Training Centre (Pulapol) on Jalan Semarak. They were mostly protesters who refused to disperse and were brought there for documentation,” he said.

He said “arrest squads” consisted of teams of at least five people comprising one officer, three detectives and one photographer.

He added that the photographers, about 150 of them on that day, were there to capture photos of the protesters before and during the arrests, because previously many cases failed when brought to court due to a lack of photographic evidence.

“There were also some taking video. That is also why Home Minister (Hishammuddin Hussein) said that he has photographs and video evidence of almost all the action on that day, because we really have them,” he said.

Different instructions

There were special teams who were already targeting those leaders behind the rally, such as Bersih chairman S Ambiga.

On allegations that FRU personnel were shooting tear gas directly at the people, he said policemen are not supposed to do that. “That’s not right,” he said.

“We were also told if we feel like arresting, then just arrest. But the problem was there were a lot different superiors giving different instructions,” he said, adding that any policeman, regardless of rank, could make an arrest after telling the person to disperse.

He said that on Saturday, the strategy was to shoot tear gas and spray chemical-laced water from water cannons before the arrest squads moved in to make the arrests during the chaos.

“If we just went in like that, matilah kita, there were so many of protesters”.

However, he said at the end of the day “we are just doing our job, that’s all”.

“There is also too much pressure from third parties. The home ministry applies pressure on the police and police in turn pile the pressure on their men. The police should actually act under the King. It’s very hard like that,” he said.

He added that there are actually quite a number of policemen who support Bersih 2.0.

“I think I support the cause, too, but we’re just doing our jobs, right? There are actually many, even among officers, but we’re all under the home ministry. What can we do? Even when we receive those postal ballots, we already have our names on the letters, how can we vote for the opposition?”

On July 9, police fired tear gas and hosed down tens of thousands of Bersih supporters who took to the streets calling on the government to reform the election processes. A total of 1,667 people were arrested, said to be the largest haul of protesters in one single day in the history of the country.

Bersih estimated the turnout to be 50,000 and condemned police heavy-handedness which led to severe injuries, and a loss of life.

There have also been numerous photographs and videos surfacing online of instances of police beating protesters before arresting them. In one controversial case, the police are also alleged to have fired tear gas into the compound of a maternity hospital.

However, the police, who estimated the crowd at only 5,000 to 6,000, have consistently denied that excessive force has been used during the demonstration.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 13 July 2011, 7:38 pm and is filed under
Bersih
,
Police
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Crackdown 2.0 in Malaysia

Wall Street Journal

JULY 12, 2011.

With its response to Bersih 2.0, a rally for electoral reform, the government has created an environment of fear and repression

Based on the evidence of this weekend’s rally in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysians aspire for a more competitive political system than what they have. Also based on this weekend’s evidence, Prime Minister Najib Razak isn’t prepared to give it to them.

An estimated 20,000 or more people peacefully gathered in Kuala Lumpur Saturday to call for free and fair elections. Their complaints included vote-rigging and gerrymandering of constituencies to the ruling party’s benefit. Bersih 2.0, as the rally was called, was the biggest event of its kind in four years. The original Bersih (the word means “clean” in Malay) called for electoral reforms in 2007.

As with the original rally, this one was met not by understanding from the government but by police deploying tear gas and water cannons. More than 1,600 attendees were detained and released late Sunday. One demonstrator died from a heart attack.

The crackdown was little surprise given the government’s actions before the rally. Over the past two weeks, the ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO) tried its best to intimidate the organizers. More than 200 activists and opposition members were detained, some on charges of “waging war” against Malaysia’s constitutional monarch. The police arrested those wearing T-shirts affiliated with Bersih. The army publicly conducted crowd-control exercises.

The situation was on the boil until the king intervened, asking both sides to settle differences. Mr. Najib offered a stadium to host the rally but then backed off. Last Thursday, he appeared with a group of martial artists who vowed to “wage war” against Bersih, saying: “If there are evil enemies who want to attack the country from within, you, my brothers, will rise to fight them.” His scare tactics backfired as thousands of protesters, further angered, arrived from across the country.

Saturday’s rally has united and energized the political opposition. So the government is now downplaying the entire event and even blaming Bersih for creating chaos. The police claim only 6,000 protesters showed up. Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein complimented police efforts to keep control despite “being challenged and provoked.” He said the protesters sought “to be arrested in order to portray the government as cruel.”

If the government is going to respond like this—intimidation followed by denial—a Bersih 3.0 could eventually materialize, though organizers have ruled it out anytime soon. Underlying this weekend’s events is growing public impatience with UMNO as Malaysians find rising inflation, coupled with slow reforms, eating into their standard of living. Saturday’s turnout is a sign that Malaysians also understand the link between true democracy and good government.

On Sunday, Mr. Najib called on the “silent majority” of Malaysians, who he claims opposed Bersih, to speak up. If he continues to create an environment of fear and repression, he may find this silent majority speaking up soon, but against him.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 13 July 2011, 10:28 am and is filed under
Bersih
,
Najib Razak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


‘Dataran Maybank has become my Tahrir Square’

By
Patrick Oh

Jul 13, 11 | Mkini

EYEWITNESS
November 2007, I joined Bersih 1.0 as a young man in my twenties. The cause and objective were simple – reform for clean and fair elections with four demands.

At Bersih 1.0, the Chinese were the minority among the peaceful marchers. Even if there were Chinese around, they were mainly middle-aged males.

Four years on, I am now in my early thirties and I participated in Bersih 2.0.

I am not affiliated to any political party or any NGO, I am just a commoner who wish to live in a peaceful and harmonious country.

However, frustration has grown over the years when we see our corrupted government playing with race and religion to divide the rakyat.

When Bersih 2.0 was first launched a couple of months back, without any doubt, I knew that I would need to answer this call as a Bersih veteran.

I had since then played my part by creating awareness of Bersih through Facebook.

The day when the Bersih secretariat was raided, I was at the scene, I wanted to go and buy my Bersih 2.0 T-shirts for myself and some other supporters.

My anger grew stronger when Bersih was accused with all kind of absurd allegations when its fair and reasonable demands are merely to ensure a clean and fair election.

Later, all kind of threats and intimidation flooded in from Perkasa, thugs, silat groups.

Bully abuse

Since young, I had been vocal, I could never tolerate bully abuse. I even got myself into trouble when I tried to fend off some gangster in high school. Call me stubborn, but the tougher the opponent I get, the stronger I will rebound.

That is the principle of my life and that is how I grow up. Sensing potential threats, with my limited martial art knowledge. I was now even more determined to be the “guard” of Bersih supporters.

I believe that a true martial artist shall never use any force against good and peaceful citizens.

On a Friday evening, I spent two and a half hours to travel from Klang to City Centre, through three road blocks.

Dressed in a a yellow stripe shirt earlier during the day, I decided to change to a black T. My objective was simple, to make it to town and be present during the march.

But I needed to sneak in a low profile manner. I was lucky enough to secure a room in a budget hotel near Times Square and I spent my whole night on cyberspace trying to encourage more supporters to come.

I didn’t get much peaceful rest that night, I must be thinking too much, I called home to wish my parents well. I told my mum that I won’t be home tonight as I would be running errands out of town.

Nerves were tense, blood was boiling, but deep down in my heart, I was still afraid. Should I be afraid more of the threats from police or other unknowns? The sting of tear gas and water cannon spray from Bersih 1 was still fresh in my mind.

And with all the stern warnings from police to stay away from this rally, I could foresee there will be more tear gas and water cannon awaiting my revisit.

The showdown

I woke up early on 709 and decided to take a walk to the Bukit Bintang area. It was around 8.30am, there were already bunch of reporters around Mc’D on stand by.

The town was extremely quiet and I overheard a resident saying that the town would only be this quiet during Chinese New Year or Hari Raya. I hope that this was not a sign of the calm before the storm.

I also saw a familiar face walking in around.

After reading her blog today I can now confirm it was Marina Mahathir (left).

Everyone in the restaurant looked kind of tense as the Patriot group was supposed to show up at 10am. However, it was later confirmed that Patriot had postponed their gathering till 1300.

Tweeter informed that there were some supporters hanging around the Pavilion food court.

I decided to take a walk to Pavilion to check out our comrades.

Not much police personnel around except a few plainclothes cops around.

Finally reached Pavilion food court and spotted a bunch of youngsters, we looked into each other, we didn’t see yellow clothes at all, but we do see the yellow flame in our eyes.

Final showdown

It was around 11 now, I decided to walk back to hotel to charge my phone and take a shower for the final showdown.

By the time I checked out the hotel, it was noon. I walked back to Bukit Bintang area again, I passed by Time Square, and I didn’t see any yellow.

But I do see some lost souls wondering around these areas. In the fear that they could be plainclothes or potential silat or Perkasa members, my instinct told me not to exchange words with them.

I was kind of lost that time and did not know where to go to meet my fellow yellow warriors. I read a tweet that DAP members were gathering around Pudu Plaza.

But I somehow trusted my instincts and headed towards Kota Raya.

Now I see more people around, consisting of all races, walking in small groups of twos and threes. They do look ‘Clean’, I wonder if we are on the same side.

It was almost 13.00 now and I had finally reached Kota Raya. I saw a group of Malays with red arm bands around. I was terrified at first, was Patriot not supposed to gather at Bukit Bintang?

I was so worried that I would end up at the wrong place. Still a little bit confused,

I then heard chanting coming from Jalan Sultan side.

I walked towards them and I know I am in. I can hear the crowd chanting Bersih Bersih, Hidup Rakyat.

So emotional

The joy of meeting up with my comrades feels like reaching home, so emotional. I joined in the crowd and took out my Bersih 1 shirt and put it on immediately.

The crowds all cheer for me. A lot of young people, both Malay and Chinese took pictures with me and keep asking me where do I got my Bersih T from. I proudly told them, “saya dari Bersih 1.0”.

They were now even more excited now and we all joined hands and marched to Dataran Maybank together.

While enjoying the spotlight earlier, I was trying to observe the demographics of the supporters. I am not so good with crowd numbers, but I am very sure is more than 5-6k as claimed by IGP.

Young Malaysians

To my surprise, there were many young Malaysians. And from these many young Malaysians, I was even more surprised to see a lot of young Chinese from both genders.

The crowd started growing, we were all getting excited, some leaders gave speeches, I can’t remember who. My friend called me on the phone to check on the situation and I told him that the crowds could be as good as Bersih 1.

I have never been to Tahrir Square before, but Dataran Maybank now is a Tahrir Square to me. I see hope, I can see young people now do care about politics and upholding our rights, this will be the birth place for a better Malaysia.

Just like old times, we had water cannons laced with chemicals and the tear gas treatment.

Everyone dispersed and gathered again, and we were now pushed to Jalan Pudu, right in front of Plaza Rakyat.

When the police fire the first round of tear gas, everyone was so desperate for water.

The gas stung our eyes so badly and even if we did have a piece of cloth, it was still dry so it was basically useless.

Those who have water and salt just shared it out to everyone around regardless of race and religion.

We gathered again and wanted to march towards Pudu Jail but the police were blocked the other end and we were now being cornered from both sides.

I can’t exactly remember how many more rounds of tear gas had been launched at us.

Rain by God’s grace

As predicted by weather forecast, rain came by the mercy of God. At least the rainwater helped wash away the tear gas. At that juncture, I was taking a break on a lorong right opposite of Tung Shin hospital.

That was the time we saw tear gas fired into the hospital compound.

A Few young girls in front of me were getting so emotional and they started crying.

Who on earth would fire tear gas into a hospital compound? This is a totally insane and unforgivable act, yet it was denied by the IGP.

Now that we have all the pictures and video footage as proof, what do you say now?

Evidence being doctored? Or you want another royal inquiry to determine the authenticity of the proof??

The street was almost empty now as most had run into the hospital compound for shelter.

We were now on a dangerous spot where police could easily charge at us from both ends. We were then instructed to run across the road and go into the hospital compound. We sprinted in and I thought that we could be safe for now.

Five minutes on, we had been told to plan our escape as quickly as we can as police would be charging into the hospital compound to arrest people soon.

On my side, there was a tall gate, locked. Everyone helping each other to climb over the gate, we ran through the back lane of Tongkat Tung Shin and we saw another group of 30-40 policemenjust around the corner.

I am not sure if they spotted us, but we did managed to sneak past them. Totally exhausted, I really felt like giving up. Really thought of taking off my Bersih T and just walk away from the crowd.

But my conscience told me that the battle was not over yet, we must regroup again.

Those who managed to escape from the hospital gathered together again and marched towards Bukit Nenas. I do not know how many people were arrested within the hospital compound, I could only pray for their safety.

The rally goes on.With few thousand of us remaining, we walked through the streets of Tongkat Tong Shin, Changkat Bukit Bintang, Jalan Nagasari, Jln Sultan Ismail, Jalan Ampang and Jalan Dang Wangi junction.

We made a U-turn later and marched all the way back to Jalan Ampang heading to KLCC and finally stopped at the junction in front of KLCC and Public Bank. Crowds grow again over our journey as a lot of onlookers decide to join in our peaceful march.

Honking as sign of suppor
t

A lot of passing vehicles were all giving us honk as a sign of moral support. Throughout the journey, everyone chanted the Bersih slogan repeatedly. Here I would like to pay my special respects to a young Indian lady.

She had been chanting “Bersih Bersih, Pilihan Raya” throughout the whole journey. Her determination shook me. I hope her throat is recovered by now.

It was almost 16.00 now, we were now seated at the junction in front of KLCC, we sang the national anthem in high spirits, followed by a short speech by two or three politicians. Before we could disperse peacefully, the FRU were there again and started giving chase to us.

We ran towards KLCC Park and everyone started to disperse on their own.

It was already close to 16.15pm.

I then took a solo walk back to Times Square again. I had a lot to reflect upon.

I met a lot of people and heard some inspiring stories. I also witnessed how amazingly courageous some individuals were.

I saw the ‘Lady of Liberty’ during the march, I walked with someone on the wheelchair.

There was also the energetic flash mob group trying to cheer people up.

There were also the smiles and the tears on everyone’s face.

The war is not over yet.

It will be ongoing until we achieve our objective to have a clean and fair election.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 13 July 2011, 2:25 pm and is filed under
Bersih
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Government risks undermining democratic progress, say UN experts

By
UNHR

12 July 2011

GENEVA – UN human rights experts* on Monday expressed their dismay at the use of tear gas and water cannons by security authorities against peaceful protestors in Malaysia on Saturday, reportedly leading to injuries and one death, and the arrest of more than 1,600 people at the Bersih 2.0 rally.

“The right to freedom of opinion and expression, including in the form of peaceful protests, is essential for democracy. By declaring the demonstration illegal, sealing off parts of the capital in advance and responding in such a heavy-handed manner against peaceful demonstrators, the Government of Malaysia risks undermining democratic progress in the country,” said Frank La Rue, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression.

Tens of thousands of people gathered near the Medeka Stadium on Saturday despite the announcement made by the police that no gathering would be permitted that day on the basis of the Malaysia Police Act, which requires organizers of public gatherings of three or more persons to seek permits beforehand. The protests were called by Bersih, a coalition of more than 60 non-governmental organizations seeking to promote free and fair elections in Malaysia.

“Actions taken by the authorities prior to and during the rally unduly restricted the rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association,” said La Rue. “Declaring Bersih illegal based on claims that it is trying to topple the Government or is a risk to national security and public order – in the absence of any credible evidence to substantiate such claims – is also an unnecessary restriction of civil and political rights.”

According to Malaysian police, all of those arrested on Saturday have been released. But the UN experts noted that six leaders from the Socialist Party of Malaysia reportedly remain in detention. These individuals include Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj, Sukumaran Munisamy, Letchumanan Aseer Patham, Choo Chon Kai, Sarasvathy Muthu, and Satat Babu Raman.

“We remain deeply concerned about the detention of six individuals since 25 June under the Emergency Ordinance, which allows for detention without trial for up to 60 days,” said El Hadji Malick Sow, Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.

The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention also reiterated its recommendation, made to the Government of Malaysia following a visit to the country in June 2010, to repeal the Emergency Ordinance and other preventive laws, on the grounds that they significantly hinder fundamental human rights, such as the right to fair trial.**

The independent experts reminded the Government of Malaysia of its obligation to fully respect the rights to peaceful assembly, association, and expression, as guaranteed under the Federal Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They also recalled that as a member of the Human Rights Council, Malaysia has pledged to uphold the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights.

“Malaysia, as a dynamic, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and pluralistic nation, should remain open to legitimate political discourse on democracy, including the expression of dissent,” the experts said. “We urge the Government to allow all individuals to enjoy their human rights, and to address the problem of preventive detention. Likewise, we call upon the Government to ensure that there will not be any punitive measures taken against peaceful demonstrators.”

* Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Mr. Frank La Rue; and Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, Mr. El Hadji Malick Sow.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 13 July 2011, 1:42 pm and is filed under
Bersih
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


I will wear yellow every Saturday until….

Beginning this weekend, I will wear yellow every Saturday until:

(1)   the PSM6 namely Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj, PSM deputy chairperson M Saraswathy, central committee members Choo Chon Kai and M Sukumaran, Sungai Siput branch secretary A Letchumanan, and Youth leader Sarat Babu detained under Emergency Ordinance are released;

(2)  The ban on Bersih lifted;

(3)  Barisan Nasional government’s xanthophobia (fear of yellow) ended; and

(4)  The eight Bersih 2.0 demands for electoral reforms implemented.  The eight Bersih 2.0 demands are:

Clean electoral roll;

Reform postal ballot;

Use indelible ink;

Minimum 21-day campaign period;

Free and fair media access;

Strengthen public institutions;

Stop corruption;

End dirty politics.

Three days after the disastrous mishandling of the peaceful and legitimate Bersih 2.0 rally calling for free and fair elections, which has given the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razaki’s 1Malaysia administration a national and international black-eye, there are no signs that the powers-that-be have learnt anything at all, as illustrated by the following:

The refusal to release the PSM6 detained under Emergency Ordinance on trumped-up charge;

the refusal of the Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussin and the police to admit that while there were exemplary cops on duty on 709, there had been police excesses, violence and brutality during the Bersih 2.0 rally, as in causing the death of Baharuddin Ahmad; the criminal police landrover ramming of PAS Deputy President Mat Sabu on motor-bike; and  the wanton and reckless firing of tear gas and water cannons into Tung Shin Hospital and directly at Bersih and Pakatan Rakyat leaders at KL Sentral tunnel;

the continued harassment and arrests of Malaysians for wearing the yellow Bersih T-shirt.

The irresponsible, irrational and wild charge by Utusan Malaysia today accusing Selangor Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and Bersih leaders of treason for allegedly disobeying both the Yang di Pertuan Agong and Selangor Sultan in going ahead with the 709 Bersih 2.0 rally is significant as  proof that the powers-that-be are incorritible and cannot learn anything, that they are trapped in a “time warp” and cannot reconnect with the Bersih 1Malaysia generation which came of age on Saturday – comprising Malaysians regardless of  race, religion, region, age or gender.

Utusan Malaysia is the voice of the Umno leadership. Is Utusan and the Umno leadership seriously suggesting that the 50,000 Malaysians who braved police threats, mass arrests, tear gas and water cannons to peacefully gather in support of Bersih 2.0 call for free and fair elections, and the millions of Malaysians all over the country and in foreign countries who supported and prayed for the peaceful success of 709, are disloyal and traitors to king and country?

No, it is Utusan and the Umno leadership who are disloyal and traitors to king and country if they are so irresponsible and reckless as to make such wild allegations  that  tens and hundreds of thousands and even millions of Malaysians are disloyal and traitors for supporting the peaceful 709 Bersih 2.0 rally – as they are trying to turn the majority of Malaysians regardless of race, religion, region, age or gender against the king and country.

Because Utusan and the Utusan Malaysia are in a “time warp”, they can never understand or empathise with the many touching and heart-wrenching Bersih stories in social media testifying to their highest love and loyalty to the country which motivated ordinary Malaysians to act in an extraordinary manner on 709!

From Utusan’s wild, reckless and irrational allegations today, it is clear that the advice of the University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) social anthropologist Professor Datuk Shamsul Amri Baharuddin that the Najib administration should discard its “Cold War” mindset and to modernize its concepts to address internal security and national issues has fallen on deaf ears.

Shamsul had reminded the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition just after 709  that the “enemy” was no longer armed communists battling a jungle war but a civilian movement consisting of politically awakened middle class that is wired to the global community and moved by fully  legitimate issues based on the Malaysian Constitution such as free and fair elections; human rights of freedom of assembly and association; integrity, good, clean and incorruptible governance!

A close confidante and strategist of the former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, had in fact pronounced the BN’s 709 “War of Intimidation” as having “backfired” as “Malaysians no longer fear the sight of armed security forces, the threat of racial riots and or the Communist bogey.”

He admitted that “It is indeed ironic that the ‘1Malaysia’ slogan of the Prime Minister

was reflected more in the ranks of the Bersih 2.0 campaign on 9th July 2011 than in the ranks of political opportunist and upstart Khairy Jamaluddin’s miniscule band of ‘Red Shirts’ provocateurs”.

He said Najib’s highly-paid experts and strategists were expensive failures despite RM billions of expenditure, as their  “Blue Ocean Strategy”, the essence of which is to “make the competition irrelevant and creating uncontested market place” has ended up in the 709 “fiasco” where “the Opposition has become more relevant than ever and has captured and occupied more effectively – physically and mentally – both the uncontested and contested ‘political market place’”.

He even wagered his “reputation as the former political secretary to the fourth Prime Minister” that if election is held this year, “the Barisan Nasional will never be able to reclaim the 2/3rd majority in Parliament as well as the four state governments controlled by the Opposition coalition” and that “The Prime Minister will be ousted within six months from date of the election”.

Whether Utusan Malaysia is the foremost practitioner of such Najib “Blue Ocean strategy”,  what is clear is that ordinary Malaysians must continue act in extraordinary ways  to make their voice heard loud and clear as in the historic 709 Bersih 2.0 rally.

Let the Bersih 1Malaysia generation of all races, religions, regions, age and gender  demonstrate their love, loyalty and patriotism for the country every Saturday with a national demonstration countrywide of yellow – which not only signifies their determination and commitment to create a Clean Malaysia in elections, political system and national governance but also love and loyalty to King and the system of constitutional monarchy as yellow is also royal colour.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 13 July 2011, 2:31 pm and is filed under
Bersih
,
Elections
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Investing 101 Means Looking Out the Windows More

By
William Pesek

Jul 13, 2011 | Bloomsberg

Arab Spring, meet Malaysia’s summer of discontent.

That thought is surely on Prime Minister Najib Razak’s mind as the dust settles from Saturday’s botched demonstrations in Kuala Lumpur. By “botched” I mean the way Najib mishandled what should have been a ho-hum political-reform rally of little note by the international news media.

Public-relations experts would have told Najib to let the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections have their day in the capital. Let them wave signs and wear their yellow shirts. Instead, he tried to stop the rally, increasing its size. Then, he cracked down. Police fired tear gas and detained 1,697 people, turning the event into a top cable TV news story.

The over-the-top response did something worse: It enraged Malaysians who weren’t all that interested in rallying before Saturday. It also underlined the rise in political risk sweeping Asia, something that investors would be wise to track.

No serious observer expects an exact Asian rerun of the Arab Spring movement that saw uprisings topple leaders in Egypt and Tunisia and threaten regimes in Syria, Libya and Yemen. But then neither do serious people argue that Asia has done enough to enhance its democratic credentials during the past 10 years.

Political Change

Malaysia’s protest was the biggest since 2007 — roughly 20,000 people. It came amid rising calls for political change from Thailand to China. What these nations have in common is that the overhaul in domestic political systems lags behind economic and financial reforms.

Take Thailand, where voters this month ejected the incumbent Democratic Party, which had used soldiers to disperse opposition protests in 2010, leading to more than 90 deaths. The party had promised to attack the corruption and undemocratic ways of the government run by Thaksin Shinawatra that soldiers ousted in 2006. Last week, fed up voters went full circle, making Thaksin’s sister premier.

Officials in China are pulling out all the stops to clamp down on political activists amid the so-called Jasmine Revolution. Nothing unnerves the Communist Party in Beijing more than the specter of social discontent. The winds of change are even sweeping Singapore; its ruling party in May won its narrowest election victory since independence in 1963.

Common Threads

Although the causes of such tension differ from country to country, there are a few common threads. One is the frustration of the have-nots as they watch the haves get richer. Another is rising global commodity prices, which make it harder for many to make ends meet. Finally, political modernization has been slower than critics hoped.

Malaysia’s case is especially complicated thanks to the inescapable issue of race. The conventional wisdom is that Saturday’s protests will delay Najib’s pledge to dismantle a 40- year preferential program that favors the Malay majority. The policy makes it harder for Chinese and Indian Malaysians to find good jobs, and its quotas scare away foreign investors. It holds Malaysia back in an increasingly competitive world.

To me, Najib wasn’t moving fast enough before Saturday. Foreign executives considering whether to build a factory in Malaysia want a clear schedule: By Jan. 1, 2012, we will do this, and by Jan. 1, 2013, we will do that. Instead, Najib offered vague intentions without meaningful or specific goals.

Misplaced Priorities

It’s no mystery why. All that matters to the United Malays National Political Organisation is clinging to its five-decade hold on power. Such misplaced priorities explain why Malaysia has been slow to streamline the economy and encourage the kind of entrepreneurialism that creates well-paid jobs. It’s also why leaders are timid about scrapping productivity-killing policies that only benefit portions of the population.

The question now is which way Najib turns. At this point, he may avoid calling an early election this year — there’s just too much risk for him. Which direction he takes in changing policy is an even bigger unknown. On July 10, the Guardian newspaper carried comments by Najib in which he cautioned protesters not to test his party’s will. “We can conquer Kuala Lumpur,” he said.

What can we make of a leader who promised reform and moderation and now sounds like a Roman emperor? Can a nation that arrests almost 1,700 people, some just for wearing yellow shirts, still be called a democracy? Najib’s response even had Malaysians feeling sorry for opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who was injured by flying tear gas canisters.

Events in Kuala Lumpur remind us that geopolitical risks are on the rise in Asia. Yes, growth rates are healthy even as the U.S., Japan and Europe limp along. The establishment of democratic institutions has been far less robust, though, and entrenched leaders may pay a considerable price. Maybe not in the Hosni Mubarak-sense, but the potential for upheaval shouldn’t be underestimated. There really is a bull market in the desire for political change.

Investors looking for places to put their money tend to lock themselves in offices combing through statistics, bond spreads, stock valuations and central-bank policies. In Asia’s case, more success might be had by looking out the window at the street demonstrations below.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 13 July 2011, 1:47 pm and is filed under
Bersih
,
NEM
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Justice for Jeyakumar!

By
Martin Jalleh

13.7.11

Bersih 2.0 laid bare the fact that Umno is politically bankrupt. It brought out the same old bag of tricks, treats and threats. It looked like a party in a sordid state of denial and beyond redemption.

Alas, the BN went berserk over Bersih! The coalition continues to be the bane of democracy in Bolehland as it resorts to political moves most base in stifling and stopping Bersih!

The Prime Minister now tries desperately hard to redeem his battered image – which he has largely brought upon himself!  Time and again he blundered – and very badly too.

Najib puts on a brave front whilst playing his blame game. He has been blindly led by his advisors and now finds himself in a bind, with a bruised ego and sounding very much like a broken record!

This time a humble woman lawyer of substance and a non-politician outshone him. Each time he attacked her, he reduced himself to a small boy begging for attention and looking for a fight.

The Home Minister did what he is most at home with – he bellowed with rage, and blared out the most bizarre and unimaginable balderdash. But no one bothers anymore with his bark and blather!

Of course the men in blue who looked as though they made up a branch of the Government (or a component of the BN), bowed, bent and did the bidding of their political (pay)master.

A bunch of bullies, their brutality was captured on bountiful clips on the Internet. Yet they unashamedly bulled about their innocence, and the PM and Home Minister added to the bunkum!

Whilst Malaysians refused to buckle, the bosses of the servile mainstream press continued to suck up to their political masters, giving stories a spin and slant that served the government.

The beleaguered BN continued to bluff itself – all the time! The rakyat refused to buy what it (and its newspapers) were selling!

The Bersih 2.0 march is over but its spirit lives on in many Malaysians – in spite of it being branded “illegal”. The Government can ban all it wants, but the rakyat will not be browbeaten!

The BN’s image has hit rock-bottom. It should begin cleansing its stained credibility and integrity by releasing all who are still “illegally” detained (as a result of their involvement with Bersih)!

Till to date, there is no solid and substantiated basis for the continued detention in particular of Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj and five of his colleagues of the Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM).

The Government has reduced itself to a political buffoon by resurrecting the “communist” and “foreign” bogeyman in the arrest and re-arrest of Dr Jeyakumar and the rest.

For a Government that brags so much about transformation and change, deploying Cold War tactics on political rivals in these days only reveals how far behind the times it really is!

Expecting the public to believe that Jeyakumar is trying to revive communist ideology is as ridiculous as saying that Deputy PM Muhyiddin Yassin is intelligent! Those who know Jeyakumar personally readily vouch for his integrity, his passion for the poor and his principled, patient and peaceful approach. The MP is truly a rare breed politician!

The judiciary has just betrayed its often loud claim of being independent when it delayed today the hearing date of habeas corpus application of Jeyakumar and the five others by a month.

A June 2010 court circular states that such urgent hearing dates must be fixed within a week after filing. The blunt and brutal truth — the judiciary remains beholden to the government.

The longer Jeyakumar and his colleagues remain behind bars, the longer the Government of Malaysia will look bad in the eyes of the world. It has no one to blame but itself.

The Government has to clean up its act. Malaysia sits on the UN Human Rights Council with a laundry list of transgressions. It cannot afford to turn a blind eye to this daylight mockery!

Alas, the Government got more than it bargained for when trying to banish Berish into oblivion. Najib leads the nation forward into abysmal political backwaters. (13 July 2011)

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 13 July 2011, 4:52 pm and is filed under
Bersih
,
Martin Jalleh
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Karpal: DAP’s presence was felt

By
S Rutra

July 13, 2011  | Free Malaysia Today

KUALA LUMPUR: DAP chairman Karpal Singh said his party was committed to the Bersih 2.0 rally from the start.

Responding to allegations that DAP members did not turn up in droves for last Saturday’s rally, he said many party leaders and members were confined at the Jalan Pudu Area (near his office), Menara Maybank and Pudu Plaza.

“From day one we were committed to the rally and we never intended in taking a backseat. In fact, I was on the ground to observe and was stopped very rudely by policemen on duty near a road junction in front of the Puduraya bus station,” he told FMT.

However, Karpal conceded that in term of numbers, there were more PAS and PKR members and supporters on the streets that day, but stressed that DAP also made a visible presence.

As for the allegations, the veteran politician, who is wheel-chair bound, said it was an attempt to discredit DAP in the eyes of its Pakatan Rakyat component parties.

“I was constantly in touch with (Lim) Kit Siang who was with other Pakatan leaders and my attempt to join them were prevented mainly by roadblocks around my office at Jalan Pudu,” he added.

Karpal also said that he witnessed Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) personnel firing tear gas indiscriminately at the demonstrators.

He said police not only used excessive force at certain locations against but he as a MP was also subjected to “harsh treatment”.

“They (police) threatened to arrest me if I didn’t retreat to my office. I can understand they were dealing with demonstrators but in my case probably they should have acted in a more professional manner,” he said.

The senior politician also estimated that about 30,000 people turned up on Saturday.

Karpal urged those demonstrators to come forward with visual evidence to assit the organisers in proving that the police used excessive force.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 13 July 2011, 5:49 pm and is filed under
Bersih
,
Police
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Malaysia: Police use brutal tactics against peaceful protestors

Amnesty International

11 July 2011

The UK government must press Malaysia’s Prime Minister on freedom of assembly during his visit this week, Amnesty International said today, after peaceful protesters in Kuala Lumpur were met with police violence and 1,667 arrests at the weekend.

Police arrested peaceful demonstrators, fired tear gas canisters directly at protesters, and tear gassed a hospital compound on 9 July, in attempts to stop the electoral reform rally known as Bersih 2.0 from gathering in a stadium.

One protester, 56-year-old Baharuddin Ahmad, collapsed near the landmark Petronas Towers while fleeing teargas and was pronounced dead later in hospital.

Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Asia Pacific Donna Guest said:

“Prime Minister Najib’s government rode roughshod over thousands of Malaysians exercising their right to peaceful protest.

“This violent repression by the Royal Malaysian Police flies in the face of international human rights standards, and cannot be allowed to continue. Any future peaceful demonstrations should be permitted and respected by the authorities.”

Amnesty International is calling on the Malaysian authorities to investigate claims that police failed to provide prompt assistance to Baharuddin Ahmad before his death, including reports that an ambulance arrived only an hour and a half after he collapsed.

Many protesters were beaten by police and officers of the Federal Reserve Unit, a special force used to suppress mass public assembly.  One of the numerous Youtube videos of police violence shows plainclothes officers kicking a protester lying on the ground, while uniformed police stand by.

Police also fired tear gas canisters directly at protesters, including members of the parliamentary opposition. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was injured after a canister was fired in his direction, and Khalid Samad, a Pan-Islamic Islamic Party (PAS) member of parliament, was injured after being hit in the neck by a canister.

Tear gas was also fired at a hospital where protesters had retreated, putting the health of patients at risk, although this was denied by the Malaysian police.

Donna Guest added:

“The British government shouldn’t reward this brutality by rolling out a red carpet for Malaysia’s prime minister,” said Donna Guest.

“David Cameron should tell Prime Minister Najib that these human rights violations against peaceful reform protesters are unacceptable.”

Amnesty International is also calling on the Vatican to press Najib to respect human rights when the Malaysian leader visits Rome later this week.

All protesters arrested during the rally have now been released without charge. According to local sources, many of those released bore injuries sustained during arrest.

“The use of force by police at this rally was excessive, unnecessary and designed to instil fear,” said Donna Guest.

Around 40 people arrested in the run-up to the rally still face prosecution. Most have been charged under Section 49 of the Societies Act for possession of illegal materials, including Bersih T-shirts.

Six members of the Socialist Party (PSM) have been indefinitely detained without charge under an Emergency Ordinance since 2 July. One of them, Member of Parliament Dr Jeyakumar Kumar, was hospitalised 10 July for a heart condition following days of prolonged interrogations.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 13 July 2011, 11:02 am and is filed under
General
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Malaysia: Rich but not free

Editorial

The Jakarta Post

11.7.11

The leaders of Malaysia are laboring under an old paradigm that says you can have development or democracy, but not both. We have news for them: You can be rich and free at the same time. Malaysians deserve both and they deserve it now — not sometime in the future.

The lengths the government went to in trying to prevent and then break up the Bersih 2.0 rally in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday shows that the nation’s leaders were still not prepared to let go — even when an increasing number of Malaysians of all races have been pressing for more freedom and justice.

The rally, defying a government ban, went down as the largest in Malaysian history. It was significant that representatives from all three major races participated.

The government vainly tried to play the race card, suggesting it was a concerted move to undermine the dominant Malay race. Earlier it suggested that the rally was a communist plot.

There was nothing subversive about the rally. It was held to demand electoral reforms ahead of the next election in 2012.

The demonstrators, who numbers were independently estimated to top 10,000, were simply trying to exercise their rights of free speech and assembly.

They may have defied the law, but they were still marching peacefully. A few clashes erupted when the police tried to break them up. When they did disperse, they did so peacefully.

The police clearly overreacted. They did not need to invoke the Internal Security Act to arrest some of the protest’s leaders before Saturday. They certainly did not need to detain more than 1,600 on the day of the demonstration.

Aspirations for freedom and democracy are universal. Governments everywhere will, sooner or later, have to make accommodations. You cannot suppress the people and deprive them of their freedom forever. You must give them their due — or else they will get it by force. The Arab Spring is a case in point.

Given its current economic strength, Malaysia is in an enviable position to allow greater freedom and democracy. It can afford to take some risks without necessarily undermining development. A few powerful people may stand to lose their economic privileges, but they should have been phased out by now.

The Bersih 2.0 rally is the clearest sign that Malaysians want freedom and justice, as well as wealth.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 13 July 2011, 11:20 am and is filed under
General
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Najib ‘troubled’ by people’s willingness to act

By
Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz

July 13, 2011 | Free Malaysia Today

Comment
 What has Bersih 2.0 become? To me Bersih 2.0 has come to represent the people’s willingness to translate beliefs into action.

That’s what is troubling Umno president Najib Tun Razak. Bersih represents willful readiness to translate articulation into action.

The shocking thing is, he couldn’t detect the same voluntariness and missionary zeal among Umno people! In Umno it’s the ‘no money no move’ philosophy.

In response, he pressed the panic button and came out with his fiery speech to the purportedly 6,000 Umno members at PWTC, a day after Bersih’s massively successful rally on July 9.

Which silent majority was Najib talking about on Sunday?  How would we categorize the more than 100,000 people asking him to resign?

Maybe they are the silent subversives, anti-Malay, and anti-Islam and so on. Perhaps even traitors.

Wasn’t it treason?

Speaking of which, here is another troubling thing for me.

The Agong to whom everyone pledges allegiance and loyalty has ruled for conciliation.

But Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein was bolder in saying despite being granted an audience with the King, Bersih remained an outlawed entity.

The King means nothing.

Hishammuddin then went on to counter-command the King’s rule by unleashing security forces on peaceful marchers.

Did the police find any weapons among Bersih supporters that day?

I am sure, the video clip showing the man who eventually died while participating in the rally, if any is available, will be played over and over again in the next coming general elections.

The opposition already has a weapon. A potent one, more worrisome than Anwar Ibrahim’s black eye!

Anwar Ibrahim? He was largely incidental in the Bersih rally because the Bersih rally actually and truly wasn’t about him.

If he participated in the rally because of some personal motives, who are we to fault him on that?

At least he wasn’t as stupid as the ex-ITM guy (Perkasa’s Ibrahim Ali) who went around telling people that Bersih is really about overthrowing a Malay government.

Let me remind him that 70% of the rally participants were Malays wanting electoral reforms too!

Pitiable pettiness

Truth is, Bersih has taken a life of its own and would have become what it became even if its chairman S Ambiga wasn’t around.

Isn’t it embarrassing for anyone to respond to Ambiga by asking her citizenship be revoked, and title stripped?

Funny thing, people should start thinking why was Ambiga (that woman who is purportedly out to cause trouble and a was a threat to Islam) was able to meet up the Yang DiPertuan Agong who is the head of the Islamic religion.

Who is (Perkasa’s) Ibrahim Ali to tell the Agong who he should or should not meet?

We can spin till kingdom come about the willingess of the King to meet up with Ambiga and you can even do the hair-splitting stuff that one buffon of a minister did when he said “Oh the King met Ambiga in her capacity of a person…The King does not meet Bersih”.

But then however you say it, the people will say the King recognises Ambiga as the leader of Bersih 2.0 – whether that organisation has been outlawed or not. She and what she represents is of some consequence.

Isn’t all this a sign of shallowness and an example of pitiable pettiness?

Seeking reforms

What was Bersih asking for? They asked the Election Commission to enforce electoral reforms.

And they forwarded their eight-point demand to the EC. That shouldn’t scare Umno in the first place.

No problem with postal voting because violation on postal voting isn’t as widespread as it was a long time ago.

Unless of course the candidates’ representatives during the voting and counting process were sleeping.

There should not be any problem even if voting is made compulsory on reaching 21 years of age.

Cleaning up the electoral roles off dead people shouldn’t be much of a problem because this is more administrative and technical.

Making voting transparent shouldn’t be a problem too.

Umno’s three evils

So what was the problem? Now comes the big issues – money politics, gerrymandering and phantom voters.

Thousands of people in Sabah are being issued Identification Cards with addresses in Kelantan.

Gerrymandering is a bigger problem.

It seems that Umno can only ensure it has more representatives in Parliament by creating more parliamentary seats with 5,000 voters per constituent.

Hence an Umno MP represents 5,000 people, while his rival (opposition) represents 30,000 people.

The Umno MP will represent the same amount if that number includes 10,000 police and 10,000 army voters.

Now this is a problem.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 13 July 2011, 5:51 pm and is filed under
Bersih
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Release Dr Jeyakumar immediately

by
P Ramakrishnan

President Aliran

12 July 2011

Aliran is very concerned and troubled over Dr Jeyakumar’s health, which seems to be deteriorating under detention. We learn that he is now in IJN undergoing observation. This is the second time he had to be taken to hospital while under detention. This has happened within a span of two weeks which is really worrying.

The PSM 6 detained under the Emergency Ordinance have been placed in a cruel and unjust situation: they have been falsely accused (first of waging war against the King and now of being a threat to national security), subjected to interrogation and solitary confinement, and denied proper visitation rights with their lawyers. This is totally unacceptable in a civil society.

Kumar is neither a communist nor a violent man to be a serious threat to the country.
 All those who know Kumar speak highly of his work and commitment to the people. The Home Minister must search his conscience over these blatant lies made against Kumar and his team. It is a terrible injustice to detain persons under false pretences. When a person is falsely accused, what do we make of the accuser? What do we make of a government which continues to detain people under false pretences. Is this what they mean by democracy?

Malaysia sits on the Human Rights Council. The Malaysian government should do justice to its position on this Council by according and recognising the human rights of the PSM 6. The least that the Malaysian government can do is to live up to the ideals of the Human Rights Council – and not violate the very rights that the government has been charged to defend steadfastly.

In view of this obligation, it will be totally unjustified not to charge the PSM 6 in court. The government should and must bring them to court just to prove and convince Malaysians that there is no malice on their part. This move will also provide an opportunity for the detained six to defend themselves in a court of law.

For the record, Kumar and his team of brave people are dedicated Malaysians, genuinely struggling to uplift the forgotten and marginalised poor in our society. They deserve to be treated better than this. We call upon the Barisan Nasional government to release Kumar and his colleagues immediately.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 13 July 2011, 4:31 pm and is filed under
Bersih
,
Human Rights
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Sarawak to hold reform rally in August

Joseph Tawie | July 13, 2011

Free Malaysia Today

While patriotism to country and loyalty to government is important, the same reasoning should be used to oust bad leaders and governments, says Movement of Change Sarawak.

KUCHING: Inspired by the success of Bersih 2.0′s ‘Walk For Democracy’ march last Saturday and the fact that some 100 Sarawakians had taken part, the Movement for Change Sarawak (MoCS) is planning to hold its own ‘rally for democracy and reforms’ here on Aug 13.

MoCS chief Francis Siah said the movement’s leaders had decided on Sunday to organise “A Walk for democracy and reforms”  instead of organising a anti-Taib Mahmud rally originally planned for Aug 13.

He said MoCS will apply for a police permit for the event.

“We assure the police that it will be a peaceful rally and we will heed any reasonable advice/demands from them.

“We will extend our fullest cooperation to all law enforcement agencies in the state capital to ensure no untoward incidents on that day,” said Siah.

He said the event will be held from 2pm to 5pm at either the Padang Merdeka or Kuching Waterfront.

“We hope to gather either at Padang Merdeka or Kuching Waterfront and then walk to either Reservoir Park or Museum Grounds where we will hold the rally.

“By 5pm, everyone should disperse. This is our commitment to the police,” Siah said.

Sharing Bersih message

He said the rally would be a compromised version of the original street protests to force Taib, who is Sarawak Chief Minister, to step down.

“In our sincere efforts to adopt a non-confrontational approach, we invite all patriotic citizens, even leaders and supporters of the government, to join us in demanding urgent changes and reforms in the governance of Sarawak for the betterment of our beloved home state and people.

“For too long, the state has been trapped in a quagmire of widespread corruption and the politics of fear and intimidation.

“We wish to educate all Sarawakians that politicians whom they elected to public office should be there to serve them and not vice-versa.

“The people are the masters, not those who govern.

“When those who govern do wrong by abusing their power, it is the people’s duty and responsibility to vote them out,” he said.

Siah added that while ‘patriotism to country and loyalty to government’ was important, it was equally essential that the same sense of reasoning is given to ousting bad leaders and government.

“MoCS also supports Bersih’s simple message to the government – give us free and fair elections, true democracy and a better future for our children.

“The movement will issue a 10-point declaration at the rally on Aug 13,” he said.

Voluntary support

He stressed that the rally would solely be a citizen’s initiative with no political affiliation or involvement.

Nonetheless, we welcome all concerned citizens, whether they are apolitical or politicians, to participate in the rally.

“MoCS will not be campaigning for support from any established groups for the rally.

“We prefer spontaneous and voluntary support from all who care and love their state and nation and who earnestly want to help bring about genuine reforms.

“MoCS is also encouraging those who are unable to come to Kuching and those living in other parts of the state and country and even overseas to organise similar walks in solidarity with their fellow citizens and friends in Kuching,” Siah said, urging all participants to come in red, the theme colour of the movement

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 13 July 2011, 7:24 pm and is filed under
Bersih
,
Sarawak
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


The home minister should resign!

By
KJ John

Jul 12, 11 | The Malaysian Insider

I think Minister of Home Affairs Hishammuddin Hussein should resign. He has failed miserably in “managing the proper conduct of the Constitution and discarded reasonable rights of the citizens”, even after the King made his intervention and publicly made his views known. The King is our Head of State.

Allow me to state my reasons for my call vide this column. Bersih 1.0 and Bersih 2.0 are non-legal organisations. This means that while they exist in real space and time, they are not legal entities in the corporate and legal sense under the laws of our nation.

They are what my Professor of Organisation Theory and I would call ‘organisations’, nonetheless. They exist and have life; they represent the interests of some groups of people.

In this case, they represent the interests of 62 organisations that have some form or other of legal or legitimate existence. I am part of one of the 62 organisations with a legitimate interest in BERSIH 2.0 and its issues and concerns.

Logic 101

In the United States, in almost all undergraduate courses, every student is required to take a course called Logic 101. It deals with the fundamentals of logic and non-logic.

For example, in Logic 101, we learn that a thing cannot be A and B at the same time. It is either A or B but not both. Therefore, A and B are different and separate, and cannot be the same. Let me apply this to educate the home minister, so he can understand why I want him to resign.

The minister declared, and this was agreed to by the Inspector-General of Police, that Bersih 2.0 is an illegal organisation. Now, to say that it is A, we must define which law says that it is illegal. The minister quoted the Societies Act, and some clause within it.

But, if Bersih is not a registered society, can this law be applied to Bersih? But, an even more important question is, “what is the difference between being legal and illegal?”

I believe Bersih may not be a legal and corporate entity under either the Registrar of Societies or even under the Registrar of Companies, or any other legal form.

In fact, as stated by chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasen herself, Bersih 2.0 is merely a coalition of 62 registered and legal entities of all kinds of shapes and sizes, but none of them are partisan political parties. That was the intent in the formation of Bersih 2.0 and this was clarified at the soft launch of Bersih 2.0 at MBPJ.

Therefore my question to the home minister: “How is Bersih 2.0 illegal?” If B2.0 is only non-legal, how can you also make their T-Shirts illegal? If they are illegal, are you suggesting that the King, as our Head of State, was meeting with an illegal organisation? Can and should the King be above the law then?

But even more importantly, does not the police force serve the King, as the “Di-Raja” title implies? Do not they serve at the pleasure of the King, and not just the government of the day?

And, cannot the King decree his views, as he did, to serve the public interest, and direct Bersih 2.0 not to march the streets but instead go into a stadium? Is it then not the job of both the police and the government, as also already declared by the prime minister, to assign a stadium for them to hold their demonstration in?

Did the government of the day fail to take heed of the Head of State’s instructions? Can another subsidiary authority of the stadium, which belongs to the people, say that the stadium is not allowed to be used? Even the PM spoke about this issue and the stadium’s use!

Disobedience

I believe Polis Di Raja Malaysia should now be called Polis Di Kerajaan Malaysia because they disobeyed the King and followed the orders of the minister and his false logic of illegality. Therefore, both the minister and the IGP must resign for disobeying the King’s directive to Bersih 2.0.

The people must now be called the Rakyat Di Raja for their obedience and their peaceful march to their stadium to establish and claim their space of freedom of expression.

Their only hindrance was the illegitimate acts of the police! The Bersih 2.0 Exco chose the Merdeka Stadium simply because it belongs to the people! This is the same place the Rakyat Di Raja wants to see the dreams of Tunku Abdul Rahman fulfilled! Medeka, Merdeka, Merdeka!

At 10.30am last Saturday morning, four RMC Old Putera, as we are called, decided to meet, review and march. We met at Gopala’s in Brickfields. We all got there undetected by the police even though three of us wore variations of yellow!

We had a good breakfast and discussed all related issues about the legality or non-legality of the march. Two could not march because of other priorities, but two of us decided to march for the sake of demonstrating peaceful resistance; our Gandhian March.

The road less marched!

No Malaysian can be disbarred from walking up to the Stadium after the King agreed that the demonstration can be held within a stadium. Especially if they are wearing yellow in utter respect for the King; and the two are Old Putera of the Royal Military College; whose colours were given by the King!

Moreover, two of us, even if in yellow, are not a crowd by any law of the nation! Under the Police Act, three or more is a crowd. So, we set off bravely about 11.30am. We walked and could see the different groups gathering at different staging points. Some were already camped next to the stadium the night before.

We finally reached the Methodist Boy’s School side of the stadium, after meandering and avoiding all road blocks till there.

Near the stadium area we reached a police blockade and the officer told us that the hill was out of bounds to all. We reasoned that we are only following orders of the King to gather inside the stadium and wore yellow in respect for the King. Our logic was illogical for Hishammuddin’s boys in blue!

When and how then can we have better democracy in Malaysia? Only through freer and fairer elections? When the referee does not close an eye to corruption and appear not to understand what bribery is, and where a healthier gerrymandering is agreed but limited by due process and transparent rules?

It is one where, citizen volunteers are trained exceptionally well by the Election Commission to appreciate all the rules on elections; as neutral PACA volunteers! But, it cannot be wherein there are ghost voters above 100 years old!

We therefore need an integrated biometric system of identity cards which defines single locations of voting addresses and authenticates people who are alive against those with ghostly features!

May God allow Malaysia to search for truth, righteousness and justice for all!

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 13 July 2011, 12:18 pm and is filed under
Bersih
,
Hishammuddin
,
Police
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Truth is inconvenient

By
Christine SK Lai

July 13, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

JULY 13 — It’s the first time in my life I joined a demonstration. Do I like demos? No way. Was I scared? Of course; it’s no “walk in the park, picnic on the grass”; you know what to expect when it has been declared illegal and everyone is being warned by everyone else from the King to the church to well-meaning friends to stay home and be safe.

 Actually that was what I intended to do as a law-abiding citizen and obedient sheep; at least it was until I was challenged by my own children with certain thought-provoking questions like… “Ma, where would the world be if Martin Luther King just prayed and didn’t march?” “Ma, where were the Christians when six million Jews were systematically led to slaughter by an evil dictator?”

And this final shot from my teenager son, “Ma, you know, even Malayan Union got march for independence?” (well, at least he’s studying something right for SPM!)

And I recalled myself, didn’t Jesus cause demos everywhere He went — demos of God’s power, grace, love, healing? Didn’t the early church “turn the whole world upside down”? — all for a cause greater than themselves.

Still I dithered, because I didn’t “really” want to get involved in this messy business of demos; I was already figuring how inconvenient it would be; trying to get past road blocks, maybe having to walk a long walk into the city centre, besides what purpose would all that “noise and clatter” serve, not to mention the risks involved… well, again it took my kid to pointedly tell me off (nicely) — whether or not the demo gets results isn’t the point, Ma. It is simply whether you choose to make your stand in support of it. I guess it’s like voting — it’s your choice; even if the one you chose didn’t win, it’s ok, you made your choice to vote this or that person because of the ideals he/she represents.

 So there’s that all-important word — choices. My kid asked me what made me change my mind last minute to join a rabble (read rebel) crowd. I guess the final straw was when I was told our weekly street-feeding for the poor/homeless had to called off because the food couldn’t be brought in due to the road blocks all over the place.

And that’s when something clicked inside. I felt angry, angry at all the things that are happening in this land. Everyone knows, everyone complains, there are tonnes of emails floating around on all kinds of stuff which we shake our heads at and yes, certainly pray over. An email sent to me said to pray for good sense to prevail. Of course we are to pray. Duh. Well, that’s fine and good; only problem is you can only talk good sense to people who will listen to good sense.

At the end of the day, i had to answer myself 1 question: if I believed in justice and righteousness for all, how much am I willing to show it? Some friends sms’ed me that I was very brave to go out there, when I asked for prayer support for my family.

My reply is I am not brave. It’s just that there comes a time in everyone’s life when each of us have to make a choice about the things we say we believe in — that’s a very personal decision. Well, my day had come. So I found myself smack in the midst of a crowd of I-dunno-how-many thousands, marching along with them on July 9, 2011. A day that will forever be etched in my memory….

 A day when I saw total strangers of all ages, races and religions gathered under the skies and facing a big red monster truck firing tear gas just because the crowd was formidable in size. There were entire families, people from same kampungs, from outstation states, even someone on a wheel-chair. And it was total strangers who went all out to help one another, without any qualms or calls needed.

When the tear gas started, and some took shelter in a car park, a man opened up the fire-hose reel there and sprayed water over everyone to wash away the sting. When people had to run into the bushes surrounding a private hospital, everyone was extending hands to each other to haul and push each other up the slippery slopes.

With the authorities chasing us all the way into a church compound, somebody opened up the back gate for people to climb over. Someone offered me salt to ease the throat. Another was handing out zip-lock bags, telling me “Aunty, better keep your hand-phone inside this, if not get wet by the rain”. Still another old man offered to share his umbrella with me. This is 1 Malaysia in action, no need for words or banners to proclaim it.

But what shamed me personally was a non-Christian group who spontaneously started a prayer meeting in the heavy rain. I watched as people just stepped out from their shelters and ran to join them in the open.

Was there violence? Yes — tear gas, water cannons. That was about the only actual violence I saw in my group (I can’t say what happened to other groups spread all over, because of the blockades which separated us).

But well, if you want to call making lots of noise and chants and singing Negara Ku and shouting “Daulat Tuanku” several times violence, I guess we were pretty violent. My group didn’t have any “famous faces” to lead us, but whoever was shouting instructions we obeyed — so obediently we sat when told to sit on the road, we walked when told to walk, regrouped when told to regroup. (Of course, we didn’t need to be told when to run), so where’s the violence?

In fact when someone got a little bit too enthusiastic and started running down to the truck which was parked in front of us on the road, people were shouting at him to come back and not provoke the authorities. Violence? Quite the opposite, there were some very happy people that day — the mamak stall-operators, McDs and 7-Eleven stores which dared to stay open — they were doing roaring business; did anyone bother to interview them about loss of income caused by rioters? Did they get looted?

Was there inconvenience? Of course. So we can put up with all sorts of traffic jams every “normal” day of our lives and for this one day we say we are so very inconvenienced? The funniest thing is when we wanted to disperse, we couldn’t! Talk about deliberate inconvenience.

By 4pm, most of us were tired, and all we wanted to do was go home and take a bath after being pelted with tear gas and soaked to the skin by rain. Someone was asking like a typical Malaysian, where got makan arr? Yet there was still that big red bully truck monster hogging the road, and they were not allowing anyone who looked Malaysian through the barricades.

So unless we suddenly grew blond hair and blue eyes, we were stuck. I approached a policeman and asked if I could just walk through alone. He was very nice and said yes, so hurray, off I trooped only to be stopped two minutes later further down the road and turned back with a very sarcastic, “You orang buat kecoh, sekarang tahu rasa kecoh lah.”

Geez, what a sour lemon. So I had to take a very very long and roundabout way back to the LRT station, only to find it closed. Great… now all those who simply want to call it a day can’t get out of KL!

I am still wondering, hey, man, what’s the logic? I thought the idea was not to let people gather around in “illegal” assemblies; yet what do you expect people to do if you stop or hinder the very means that’s meant to disperse them? — you get illegal assemblies at the LRT and bus stations some more lah! To be fair though, I have to “tabik” the police for being even-handed with all the opposing sides involved.

Was there politics? Of course. But surely whether we like it or not, politics is politics. And surely concepts like justice and righteousness don’t exist in a vacuum. There is supposed to be justice and righteousness in politics, in economics, in social affairs, even in private affairs; in fact they are meant to work in the very fabric of human life, isn’t it?

So how can we divorce these ideals from the realities of life? And I guess that’s what I joined the rally for — to make my stand for ideals which are surely God-ordained for all of humankind. Others may join the rally for different reasons, rightly or wrongly, but that’s not my concern.

Was it worth it? Yes. Being there on the spot exposed the falsity of many of my (our) facile assumptions. What has been “manipulated” into our psyche is the threat of what-could-happen. And I realised, hey, it’s all hyped-up — the threat turned out as unfounded shadows.

As it goes, from the behaviour of the crowd, if only they had been allowed to make their “noises” in a stadium, all the inconveniences could have been so much reduced and better-controlled.

Unfortunately we have been ingrained to fear violence, we assume all strife = violence and violence = bad. Therefore, we will not get involved in any strife situation; we will pray for peace. Yet what is peace? As someone puts it, “Peace is not the absence of strife.” Jesus, the Prince of Peace, slept in the midst of a terrible storm — that’s peace, even though strife was all around Him. At the height of it all, when people were running all over, and tear gas was stinging my eyes and throat, and I was wondering what if I get arrested, what if I get trampled in this rush? — I had God’s peace.

I faced the fear by His grace, and survived it. So did my children, though we were never together at all. My eldest was up close and personal to the front-line action, doing her reporter’s beat, tweeting real-time reports into her office. My No.2 didn’t even want to go with me. Ended up she had to walk all the way from/back to Sentral. (Hey, that’s still better than the woman who walked from Mid Valley!)

I got back home, finally after they opened back the LRT at about 5.15pm. None the worse for wear and tear, thank God, except for achy achy feet. Looking back, I think perhaps above all, this experience is for me, a test of how prepared I will be when the day comes when God calls me to give up my life literally (not figuratively) for a bigger cause than myself, would I still balk at being “inconvenienced”? Would I choose to “be safe” than run risks for God’s sake?? Ahh, million dollar question. I think I am better prepared to answer it after July 9 2011.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 13 July 2011, 12:06 pm and is filed under
Bersih
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


Umno, Utusan the real traitors, says Kit Siang

By
Yow Hong Chieh

July 13, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 — Lim Kit Siang today turned the tables on Umno and Utusan Malaysia, which he said were “traitors to the King” for attempting to tar Bersih protesters as turncoats.

The DAP parliamentary leader said such unfounded accusations by the ruling party and its mouthpiece would only serve to turn the sentiments of the majority of patriotic Malaysians against King and country.

“Is Utusan and the Umno leadership seriously suggesting that the 50,000 Malaysians who braved police threats, mass arrests, tear gas and water cannon to peacefully gather in support of Bersih 2.0… are disloyal and traitors to King and country?” he said in a statement today.

“No, it is Utusan and the Umno leadership who are disloyal and traitors to King and country if they are so irresponsible and reckless as to make such wild allegations that tens and hundreds of thousands and even millions of Malaysians are disloyal and traitors for supporting the peaceful 709 Bersih 2.0 rally.”

Lim also said Utusan’s wild claims that Selangor Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and Bersih leaders had betrayed the King by marching on Saturday was proof that Barisan Nasional (BN) is stuck in a time warp and can no longer connect with what he termed the “Bersih 1Malaysia generation”.

He said it was clear that the advice of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) social anthropologist Professor Datuk Shamsul Amri Baharuddin that the Najib administration should discard its Cold War mindset had fallen on death ears.

Shamsul had reminded BN after the Bersih rally that the “enemy” was no longer armed communists battling a jungle war but a civilian movement comprising politically awakened middle class Malaysians who were wired to the global community and acted on legitimate issues based on the Constitution.

Lim added that Matthias Chang, a close confidante and strategist of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, also agreed that BN’s “war of intimidation” had backfired as Malaysians no longer feared armed security forces, the threat of racial riots or the communist bogey.

Chang had said it was ironic that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1 Malaysia slogan was better reflected in the ranks of Bersih marchers than in Umno Youth’s “red shirt provocatuers”.

The trained lawyer predicted that BN would fail to secure a two-thirds majority in Parliament or the four opposition-led states in the next general election and that Najib would be ousted six months after that.

Lim further called on all Malaysians regardless of race, religion, age and gender to “demonstrate their love, loyalty and patriotism for the country” and to show their support for free and fair elections by wearing yellow every Saturday.

“What is clear is that ordinary Malaysians must continue act in extraordinary ways  to make their voice heard loud and clear as in the historic 709 Bersih 2.0 rally,” he said.

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 13 July 2011, 5:46 pm and is filed under
Bersih
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


We walked in peace until…

By
Adrian Ng

July 13, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

JULY 13 — The night was quiet. The usual buzz that surrounds KL on a Friday night was missing. I walked from Masjid Jamek LRT station to the hotel through Masjid India bazaar. Not many police were sighted and business was still operating as usual. The crowd was mainly tourists.

I met up with Padma, Jo and Kavilan in the hotel. My roommates were Albert and Bakri – Haris Ibrahim’s younger brother. As the night was still early, Padma, Jo and I chilled out at the hotel’s rooftop café. From above, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman (TAR) looked deserted. Streets were empty. So were Jalan Raja Laut and Jalan Kuching. The police had barricaded and blocked access into KL, advised people to stay at home. A helicopter with spotlight was seen flying low every 15 minutes around town, inspecting every inch of it. KL was on a self-imposed curfew.

In the midst of our conversation, we got news that some hotels were being raided by the police. We decided to go back to our rooms. Albert, Bakri and I were cautious throughout the night. Soon sunrise came.

The “hide and seek” began

From afar, we saw that Dataran Merdeka was sealed off. There were occasional sirens wailing and FRU trucks moving. Police were combing Jalan TAR and its adjacent alleys and there were reports of arrests in Sogo. We spotted three Special Branch (SB) officers having breakfast at table beside us. We decided to go back to our rooms.

While waiting in the room, suddenly, the phone rang! A man was looking for May and said that her friend from Singapore was having trouble downstairs. But there was no May in our group! Albert replied and hung up. Subsequently two more calls came, this time answered by Bakri and he managed to get the name of the caller – Azman. Bakri gave him the same reply and finally, he said “Then can I speak to Padma?” Bakri told him to check with the receptionist and hung up. I told Bakri that it could be the SB “fishing” and he made a few calls to the rest of the group. We gathered and we decided to move to Pasar Seni.

We walked along Jalan Ampang towards Jalan Hang Lekiu. Streets were empty. Masjid Jamek LRT station was sealed off and FRU trucks were in position. We saw pockets of people along the way; in groups of twos and threes. Some were sitting by the curbside. About seven to eight FRU trucks were stationed in front of Pasar Seni. We also spotted a lot of SBs in Pasar Seni. We then decided to move to Petaling Street.

Petaling Street — where the party begins

As we reached Petaling Street, we noticed small groups had already gathered. Noticeably, the crowd was largely youths. I bumped into some friends, fellow Loyarburokkers among them – Justine, Ka Ea and June. The SABM-ers sang Negaraku and the crowd cheered. Spirits were getting high. We decided to walk to Stadium Merdeka via Jalan Hang Jebat. As I turned the corner, I saw a sea of people marching forward; about 2,000 at least. I stood still for a moment. No words could describe my feelings. We are not alone!

Within minutes, the crowd grew; more joined the marching crowd (out of nowhere!). By the time the group reached the intersection to Jalan Hang Jebat, there were at least 4,000 people. I lost sight of Padma and Jo in the midst of marching. The atmosphere was carnival-like (http://twitpic.com/5nj7yy) so I was not too worried. The group wanted to march up Jalan Hang Jebat to Stadium Merdeka. But there was a police blockade; just outside Rumah BP!

Rather instinctively (I don’t know what the hell got into me!), I jumped in front and told them “No! We don’t confront! We came for a peaceful walk and we don’t want a confrontation!” The few leaders/marshals looked at me stunned, and agreed. The group then turned back and headed towards Kotaraya.

The Jalan Sultan crowd joined another group that had already gathered at Jalan Tun Perak, in front of Maybank Tower. The crowd had already swelled to at least 20,000. More and more were also walking in from Jalan Sultan. I was already helping with crowd control by now; urging those at the back to join the crowd. The crowd size continued to grow tremendously; it was nearing 30,000.

Attention was suddenly thrown towards Jalan Pudu during Dr Hatta Ramli’s speech. There was a large group marching forward. I ran forward to check if the crowd was another #Bersih group. To my relief, I saw Alex (Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun’s son) leading the pack. This is the group that marched from Pudu! The two groups joined and by now, it was a 50,000 strong crowd.

The FRU spring into action!

Without warning, suddenly an FRU truck came charging towards the crowd in front of Sinar Kota and started shooting water at the crowd. The crowd panicked and retreated; as some youngsters who were clearly angered and provoked tried to charge at the FRUs.

I ran in front again (I still don’t know why the hell I did that!) and shouted like a mad man, asking them not to confront. Some Pak Cik and uncles also tried to hold the line as well.

Then “Poom” “Poom Poom” “Poom Poom Poom”; tear gas was fired at the crowd. The massive crowd retreated back to the intersection in front of Puduraya. By now, we were almost split into two smaller groups; 1 retreating backwards to Jalan Pudu, some to Puduraya while the other group moved backwards to Jalan Sultan.

“Garam Garam Garam”… “Air Air Air”… people were sharing salt, pouring water into each others’ towels. A few youngsters were seen helping a Pak Cik who seemed to be having breathing difficulties as he sat by the curbside.

I spoke to a leader and we decided to group everyone together at Puduraya. The Jalan Sultan crowd started moving, slowly. Suddenly, the FRU came charging again from Jalan Tun Perak. This time with blue chemicals. The crowd retreated further back; clearly breaking the group into two.

At the same time, the FRUs from Pasar Seni moved up to Petaling Street junction. I urged the crowd to move back into Jalan Sultan. A group of youngsters then emerged from Jalan Tun Tan Siew Sin and ran towards Jalan Sultan. “Poom Poom” “Poom Poom Poom”… The FRUs near Kotaraya fired! A few brave youngsters kicked away the gas canisters to change the smoke direction!

God answered our prayers

And as if God was watching us, rain came! It poured! The rain washed away the tear gas smoke. I saw a teenage Malay boy; his eyes were inflamed and red but he soldiered on. I asked if he was alright; he pointed skywards and washed his eyes. We smiled. Surprisingly, the earlier police blockade in front of Rumah BP was gone (maybe they were scared of the rain); as the crowd marched towards Stadium Merdeka. I managed to meet up with my brothers there.

The crowd only managed to walk to Changkat Stadium, where the FRUs had already put up barbed wires. Here, the FRUs and police observed restraint. They left the crowd alone and were only observing. As the rain continued to pour, the crowd chanted and sang Negaraku. Down the road, a carnival-like atmosphere filled the crowd again. People were seen busy buying ice-cream from a bicycle vendor.

I met up with Yvonne, Karen and Jonson and we moved along with the crowd towards the Chinese temple opposite Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall. We met a few others there; Kwang Chen, Nathaniel Tan, Edmund Bon and Zain HD. I called Padma and was glad to find that both she and Jo were alright (They managed to get into Stadium Merdeka!). The crowd dispersed peacefully at 4pm.

Walked for a noble cause

People say you will know who your true friends are during your times in need. On July 9th, we, fellow righteous Malaysians who braved all the obstacles walked together for a cause that we believed in. There were no Malays, no Chinese, no Indians, no Sabahans, no Sarawakians and no Orang Asli. Just Malaysians! On July 9th, the real Malaysia emerged, and we walked in peace until…

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 13 July 2011, 1:35 pm and is filed under
Bersih
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.


“Why are you here, why do you march?”

By
 The Anonymous Marcher

13 Jul 2011

Before the dust has even settled on Bersih 2.0, the official verdict is out and the participants are being portrayed as deluded troublemakers waging war on a silent majority.

We are told that protests are not part of our culture, even though a cursory study of our nation’s history reveals otherwise.

The campaign against the Malayan Union, Hamid Tuah land protests and Reformasi marches burn bright in our past.

This time thanks to the freedom of the internet, we have video footage, first-hand accounts and impartial analysis to disprove their lies.

But why did so many Malaysians brave the onslaught of the Malaysian state. Why did they go out to march?

The following is based on testimony from a handful of the tens of thousands of Malaysians who took to the streets on July 9, 2011.

We came from near and far,

Little trickles forming a powerful stream

We came to make our voices heard

A thousand whispers giving rise to a scream

Why are you here, why do you march?

I asked the uncle by my side

The silver-haired bespectacled Hokkien gent politely replied

“I march for a better Malaysia, because I will not stand for tyranny and lies.

I march to reclaim my constitutional rights.

I will march again because if they do not change, I have to shout it out in the streets.”

Why are you here, why do you march?

I asked the lady who’d left Malaysia only to come back

Why don’t you stay at home, and look after your young child?

“I march because I care for the places and people around me

And I think we can do better.

I will march again because this has been a peaceful demonstration.

Because every person counts.”

Why are you here, why do you march?

I asked the pony-tailed macha from Kepong

Why not find yourself a more harmless hobby?

“I march because I could not stay in the comfort of my home

While others take up the cause for me.

I march because I believe the true enemy of democracy is apathy.

I march because enough is enough! This is my country.

I will march again because this is only the beginning,

And one small victory does not win a war.”

Why are you here, why do you march?

I asked the bubbly student wearing a tudung

Why risk your future to give first aid to these troublemakers?

“I march because I believe my friends and I are the future.

I believe in the voices and the power of the people.

I march because my father taught me to stand up for what is right.

I will march again so that the flame of civil resistance wont die.”

Why are you here, why do you march?

I asked the environmental watchdog from Cameron Highlands.

Surely by now you’ve seen it all, what good can marching do?

“I march so other Malaysians can see that they need not be afraid.

To represent those who wanted to but could not be here today.

I march because the government of the day is not listening to its own people

I will march again because they need to know that we will not stop till our voices are heard.”

Why are you here, why do you march?

I asked the man who could have chosen to sit at the top of the tree

Is there really a need for you to shake things up?

“I march because I believe in Ambiga Sreenevasan

And the eight demands of Bersih 2.0

I march because I am tired of seeing the people bullied by the State.

Because I knew so many of my friends are going to march.

I march because I knew 9th July was going to be historic. And it is.

I will march again because I believe the nation needs us to do so.

I will march again because to defy is to be alive, and I am no longer afraid.”

Why are you here, why do you march?

I asked the grubby bearded dude puffing on a kretek cigarette

One master is no different from the next, so why should you bother?

“I march because I love my country.

“I march because one party has ruled for 54 years

And elections are the most peaceful way to end that rule.

I march because Teoh Beng Hock was my friend and they destroyed him.

There were times when I did not march, and I felt ashamed.

I will march again so that one day my children will not have to.”

Why are you here, why do you march?

I asked my friends of all creeds and colours

Do you not see that you offend the indifferent with your passion?

“We march to honour the socialist activists who are still being held.

We march to walk alongside our loved ones.

We will march again because Baharuddin Ahmad believed in Bersih 2.0

We will march again because even though they have the weapons, they are more afraid of us.”

                This entry was posted on Wednesday, 13 July 2011, 3:00 pm and is filed under
Bersih
. You can follow any responses to this entry through
RSS 2.0
.