From excitement to fatigue

by Zan Azlee
The Malaysian Insider
May 31, 2013

MAY 31 — Last week I had lunch with my friend Liew Seng Tat, a famous award-winning Malaysian film director of Chinese descent. If you haven’t heard of him, then you know zilch about films.

Seng Tat is very politically active. He’s not a politician, he’s just one of the many young Malaysians who have a heightened sense of political awareness due to developments in the country.

He was at all three Bersih demonstrations and was even beaten up and arrested during the second one (remember the famous assault on Tung Shin Hospital? He was in the car park).

He attends a lot of ceramahs and talks, candlelight vigils, protests and even became a PACABA volunteer during the recent GE. And of course there are the Black 505 rallies.

He even sends me all kinds of SMSes, Facebook links and e-mails about politics, the government, news of corruption and human rights abuse, etc.

But when I met him for lunch a few days ago at Mahbub in Lucky Gardens, Bangsar, his mood and level of enthusiasm was a stark difference from before.

“How’s the editing of your new film going?” I asked.

“The first round is done. Need to look at it again,” Seng Tat replied.

“Okay, so how was Amcorp Mall that night?”

“It was good. A lot of people turned up.”

“How long do you thing all this is going to last?”

“I don’t know lah. It’s getting really tiring. You know, all the enthusiasm and excitement that we had all these years have now just turned into fatigue.”

“Come on lah! Don’t let this ‘Chinese tsunami’ die down! Apa lagi yang kau mahu?? Haha!”

“Well, democracy is a slow and long process. And we also need to get on with life.”

I have to admit, I’ve been feeling the fatigue myself, and I can’t help but wonder if the feeling that Seng Tat and I have at the moment can actually be extrapolated to reflect the whole country.

I’m so bored of writing about politics that I yearn to start writing about the antics of my cute little daughter, Athena Azlee, again. Just like Seng Tat said, democracy is a process and life has to go on.

But Seng Tat and I both feel like we can’t lose the momentum and no matter how frustrating or tiring it gets, our patriotism and love for Malaysia should never wane.

And I’m hoping that feeling we have can also be extrapolated to reflect the whole country. At the end of the day, Seng Tat is right. Democracy is a long and never-ending process and life has to go on.

Democracy will always evolve, change and adapt as society evolves, changes and adapts. We are fighting for the next generation and they will fight for the next generation. And so the wheel turns.

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11 Replies to “From excitement to fatigue”

  1. Friends, that’s what a movement is about. Individually, we get tired, fatigued, need to get back to “real life” etc. But this time, we should be more hopeful than before because we have strength in numbers.

    Those who were already converted, they see it as another 5 years to put Pakatan in power to change this country for the better. Those who made their decision to support Pakatan at the last minute, they too immediately saw that they did right going by UMNO’s immature, aggressive reaction to being a sore winner-of-sorts.

    With the numbers, the challenges that confront Malaysians can rest on the shoulders of more people. When someone takes leave, goes on a break, getting back his or her life, someone else must take over so that in the larger picture, we keep the momentum going.

    We’re going to press BN harder and harder each day until they make more mistakes. We’re going to invade their fixed deposits so that they have nowhere else to bribe for votes. We’ll move in on the media by boycott and other mass movement measures so that they feel the ultimate pain of significantly diminishing returns. It just takes a handful of people to step up every week to keep BN very busy. Let’s keep faith, be sincere, and be there for each other.

  2. Its understanding the post-GE anger will taper off BUT at this juncture when Najib is faced with a crucial party GE?

    Najib can hold on to his Presidency based on two things – 1) Firstly Mahathir supports him and 2) that UMNO did better with the Malay voters. The first, nothing can be done about it but the second is a myth. The truth is UMNO “better” performance is due to fraud and mistake on part of PR particularly taking for granted not having Nik Aziz to campaign all out..

    IF PR can make the case that UMNO’s “better performance” is unreliable, then Najib’s presidency, even with Mahathir’s backing, can be ended. To give up trying for that – that is pathetic.

  3. “Well, democracy is a slow and long process. And we also need to get on with life.”

    That’s what Najib and his UMNO / BN gang is hoping for. They will drag things along till you all get very, very fatigued, all fed up and burnt up that you all give up. Everyone needs to get on with their lives – the need to put bread on your tables and to pay bills.

    How many more Black 505s are being planned ?

  4. ”…… I met him for lunch a few days ago at Mahbub in Lucky Gardens, Bangsar, his mood and level of enthusiasm was a stark difference from before…..”

    It was due to the fish curry. Did he find the fish ?

  5. “…… I met him for lunch a few days ago at Mahbub in Lucky Gardens, Bangsar, his mood and level of enthusiasm was a stark difference from before…..”

    Maybe he got his Income Tax returns back and got shocked back into reality.

  6. It was not an easy task to see sudden change because the rotten system have been there for decades. All the screws have been tighten since the 22 years of iron hand rules. But we did see the progress. It was true many feel greatly disappointed at the 505 results but this may also due to high expectation thus high disappointment. PR have to work harder and they must start with the states that they are in controlled now. Make them a progressive states and good governance. The day will come on shore but we have to be patience

  7. No no no Azlee and Seng Tat, this is not the time to get fatigue. I am much older than either of you. Remember, it is as if a great wrong had been done to you, like, your favourate daughter was kidnapped and raped brutally, will you feel tired and fatigue, when the criminal is still free and waiting to hurt again?
    We were robbed and cheated. The perpertrators are still around waiting to R…… you again. Is it time to rest and get on with life?
    It is tough. We knew that from the beginning.
    No. Never, until Justice is done.

    When injustice is law
    Resistance is our duty.

  8. Aye, aye, drngsc – cannot agree with you more. the momentum must not be allowed to diminish. Definitely, 505 is a prelude to a new tomorrow for our children. We are more united as a nation today than ever before. We must continue to be incensed against irresponsible acts & utterances hurled at the rakyat. We are not living under feudal lords.

  9. kit, do you know why we do it as a group? Each motivate the others. When one ran out of steam, and need to rest….It is ok. The others will bear the torch for a while…..When he is tired, others will bear it. A candle will never light enough of a room, but when a candle lighten another candle. The circle of ever bright continue trough infinity! Brighten up Man, we know of your struggle, we heard you, load and clear! we have pass the message to those support BN, some convinced, some not. It is ok, those convinced, will convince others. You do not see, but the circle of light is ever growing!

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