Category: Bersih

— George Lee
The Malaysian Insider
May 03, 2012

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

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

By Ravindran Paramsothy
The Malaysian Insider
May 03, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, May 3 — I had such an eventful day on April 28! My day started at 9am when my group of friends arrived at my house. The Bersih group comprised four women and I (which begs the question, what happened to all the guys). We decided to drive to Kampung Attap and park at Geeta’s office but there was a roadblock on Jalan Bangsar/Travers. We had no choice but to drive towards Jalan Tun Razak. We decided since my friend Jayanthi was a member of the Royal Selangor Club that we just try our luck and proceed to it. Ahhh! There was another roadblock leading to Jalan Parlimen. The girls although in bright yellow T-shirt convinced the policeman to let us thru and we decided not to push our luck and parked our car at the Lake Club. It took us about 20 minutes to walk to the Royal Selangor Club which had a very strong police presence. Since we were hungry we thought we could have nasi lemak at the club but were politely turned away by the police because of the colour of our attire, apparently yellow is no longer in fashion.

There was already a huge crowd in front of Dataran Merdeka which sadly had a ring of barbed wire around it! Made our way slowly to Central Market and waited for Ambiga to come. The crowd was made up of my fellow Malaysians — huge crowds of Malays, Chinese and Indians and you realise Barisan’s 1 Malaysia was only a slogan and here in Bersih was the true Malaysia that I have forgotten! Our ethnic differences did not matter, but the cause did. How we were tricked by Umno, the MCA and MIC who basically kept dividing us to retain their voting base. According to Malaysiakini we were more than 100,000-strong and Bersih said it was 150,000, it felt like it! We were jammed like sardines as we made our walk, the crowd was so thick that the people in front would inform you of a platform in front because you could not see it! To next day the usual Barisan-controlled media would state 5,000 had turned up! Continue reading “Worth every moment”

— Ksatriya
The Malaysian Insider
May 02, 2012

MAY 2 — It is so tempting, isn’t it?

To throw up our hands and declare that this will never work. To say that’s it and throw in the towel. To lose faith completely in our fellow Malaysians and retreat into a corner, declaring that ideals can never trump human flaws.

The myth of the peaceful protest, busted?

I spent the last two days being in and out of depression. It descended on me the minute I heard of violence perpetrated by protestors at Bersih 3.0. Suddenly, my belief in the cause and the Malaysian people seemed to crumble. After all our noble intentions, are we nothing more than a mob? Yesterday, some first-hand accounts began to appear. Some of the political leaders had incited the crowd to breach the cordon, they said. The crowd surged forth. The police had no choice but to defend themselves with wave after wave of tear gas. They had to mop up the streets of violent and unruly protestors. Things were broken, cars were overturned. The myth of the peaceful protest was finally busted.

Or was it?

I hardly slept last night. I was in front of the computer until the early hours of the morning, poring over news reports, videos, pictures. Trying to make sense of the events that had dealt such a powerful blow to my faith. Then it dawned on me. Continue reading “Should we still believe in peaceful protests?”

By Harris Nasril
The Malaysian Insider
May 01, 2012

MAY 1 — Where shall I start? From the beginning? The ending? The conclusion? Everyone has their side of the story and mine is just a piece of a jigsaw puzzle. Maybe in the end, the jigsaw puzzle will be solved by somebody. Clean and neat.

I received a call from my brother, Ikbal at 5.30 am.

“I think we should move now. People are gathering. I heard it is more than ten thousand people now in Dataran!” he said.

“Fetch me at 6am. I need to take a bath and pray my Subuh first,” I replied.

I had not even finished a cup Milo for breakfast, when my brother arrived. I told him, I need to pray first, and I told him to wait for me.

“No time! You can pray at Kelana Jaya LRT station. I heard they will close down the LRT station!”.

We then reached Kelana Jaya LRT station around 6.45am. After Ikbal parked his car, we saw one young Chinese guy wearing the Bersih yellow T-Shirt. ” Look at that Chinese guy. He is not afraid ofwearing yellow. Why we are?” I asked my brothers.

“Hahaha, that is because he is not ‘penakut’ like us!” my brothers replied.

We then took the escalator and were very much surprised to see so many peoples in yellow shirts in the LRT station! ” Continue reading “A Bersih story”

By Clarice CP
The Malaysian Insider
May 02, 2012

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

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

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

By Eddie Tuen
The Malaysian Insider
May 02, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, May 2 —”Jangan Lawan Polis!” I screamed out at the crowd as a Chinese polis officer flanked by two outriders rode down Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman in front of Sogo. The time was close to 3:45pm.

Moments before, I had watched in dismay as BERSIH rally goers threw mineral water bottles at a patrol car and then at an outrider who had driven recklessly through the crowd.

Why were they driving through the hostile crowd which had been bombed with tear gas, drenched in chemically laced water and chased all the way down from Dataran Merdeka up to Sogo at high speed? Was there anything urgent that messages could not be passed through the radio? Was there a VIP needing to be delivered to the other side of town that requires dangerously driving through a crowd? Or, was it for the video cameras? To paint a picture of a rowdy crowd bent on creating havoc?

I cannot blame some of the crowd for doing what they did. They were angry, they had been betrayed. The polis were supposed to protect us and ensure order, but we found ourselves being attacked and hunted down like wild animals.

I joined the rally on the 28th of April 2012 to support the cause for free and fair elections, as well as to protest against the setting up of the massive rare Earth plant in Kuantan. I wore both the green of Himpunan Hijau and the yellow underneath of Bersih 3.0. I removed the green and revealed the yellow when I reached the outskirts of Dataran, a green ribbon around my neck.

I am a professional, an engineer, a tax payer, a registered voter and a Malaysian citizen. I did not join the rally to ‘lawan polis’. Far from it, I expected a peaceful sit in ending with everyone standing up at 4:00pm singing to our national anthem, ‘Negaraku’. Continue reading “Jangan lawan polis!”

By Sean Chin
The Malaysian Insider
May 02, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, May 2 — Two friends and I arrived at Masjid Jamek around 11am on April 28.

We, like hundreds of others already there, were there for the BERSIH 3.0 gathering scheduled at 2pm around Dataran Merdeka.

The atmosphere at the time was relaxed, lively and not at all tense, even with the presence of several dozen uniformed police officers and a few police trucks.

People from all walks of life were walking about, carrying signs and wearing costumes related to the demand for free and fair elections.

McDonalds, Burger King, as well as road side vendors were doing brisk business. This proves that the resilient few did not let a peaceful protest hamper their livelihoods; they find solutions.

Around 12pm, groups of people from all directions started streaming into Jalan Tun Perak, and marched towards Jalan Raja.

There were representatives from various states, the anti-Lynas Himpunan Hijau group, and even the anti-Pengerang Deep Water Terminal project group came with their “Lobster man”. Continue reading “My experience of 428, trapped by the FRU”