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I was afraid, therefore I walked

— Celine Yong
The Malaysian Insider
Jul 13, 2011

JULY 13 — I almost didn’t make it. But I went.

The week leading up to the Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9th, I was like most of my friends; poked fun at the BN government’s decision to ban yellow outfits and Bersih T-shirts on my Facebook, changed my profile picture to a bright yellow Sponge Bob, showing my support to Bersih online. But it was all talk only.

Although I was angry with the highhandedness of the government in handling the Bersih rally, I never really thought about going. Didn’t go the last Bersih rally either. Not that I was afraid (the May 13th thing doesn’t scare me a bit, it only infuriates me), or didn’t agree with the principle of the Bersih rally (especially after what had happened in the Sarawak election, I am all for the Bersih principles), I just thought there would be enough people going; the NGOs, the activists, the politicians.

After all, I am but just one person. Continue reading “I was afraid, therefore I walked”

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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.

    • Continue reading “I will wear yellow every Saturday until….”

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    A very Malaysian impediment – Singapore Straits Times

    KL better off without ‘padded rolls, vote buying’, says Singapore ST
    By Debra Chong
    The Malaysian Insider
    Jul 12, 2011

    KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 — Malaysia’s top leadership would be better off working to deliver its promised reforms and give substance to the 1 Malaysia vision than stoop to a partisan approach in dealing with dissent, the Singapore Straits Times said today.

    The influential daily also remarked in its editorial today that last Saturday’s Bersih 2.0 rally here has thrown the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition on the backfoot even though it managed to deliver a counter-punch to the civil society movement.

    The Singapore paper is privately-owned but is often seen to reflect the republic’s establishment voice, which appears keen to keep its current good ties with Putrajaya while protecting the republic’s interest. Continue reading “A very Malaysian impediment – Singapore Straits Times”

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    When the ordinary became extraordinary

    — Scuba gal
    The Malaysian Insider
    Jul 12, 2011

    JULY 12 — I’m as ordinary as it gets. I live in a decent-sized condo, in a fairly popular middle-upper class neighbourhood. I married my husband in my early 30s. I’ve got a decent job in a well-regarded private corporation, where I’m middle management.

    No children just yet but we’re trying for the average number of two. On the weekends, we do what most Malaysians in our circumstances might do — head to the cinema, have a meal at one of KL’s many malls, catch up with family and friends.

    Recently, I had to answer a little profile write-up for work. When asked “what’s your biggest achievement?”, I could think of nothing I’d done so far that qualified. Yes, I’m that ordinary. Continue reading “When the ordinary became extraordinary”

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    Tanah tumpahnya darahku

    — Esther Goh
    The Malaysian Insider
    Jul 12, 2011

    JULY 12 — “Are you ready to die for the country?” I asked as I walked together with Simeon heading from Mirama Hotel on Jalan Maharajalela to Petaling Street.

    My honest answer to my own question was, “No. I don’t believe I should die now. When I’m only 24. There is so much more that I want and believe I can do for my country.”

    “But what if it takes bloodshed for people to wake up? What if we were the ones to go — so that people will finally realise the need for change?” was Simeon’s reply. Continue reading “Tanah tumpahnya darahku”

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    Bersih 2.0 “bersih”ed me!

    — Lt Col (R) Aw Yong Tian Teck
    The Malaysian Insider
    Jul 12, 2011

    JULY 12 — As I headed for the LRT station to enter the city on the morning of July 9, I was both fearful and determined — fearful that a “May 13” type violence would erupt, and afraid of being arrested. Yet, I was determined to break this shroud of fear that had gained intensity over the last two weeks from reading the newspapers, watching television and listening to coffeeshop talk.

    I nervously joined a predominantly Malay group outside the KTM building. From those whom I glanced at a bit longer, I received courteous smiles. I soon started to join them in shouting “Hidup Rakyat” or “Hidup Bersih” and punching the air as we strolled along. When they shouted calling upon “Allah”, I suddenly became conscious of the present controversy concerning the use of the word by non-Muslims, reducing my voice to a murmur. Continue reading “Bersih 2.0 “bersih”ed me!”

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    Merdeka when I was six, true democracy at 60?

    Allen Lopez
    Malaysiakini
    Jul 12, 11

    COMMENT

    When the Tunku raised his hand to the cries of “Merdeka”, I was on the cusp of turning six.

    On 9 July 2011, as I approach 60, I was among those who rallied at the Bersih 2.0 carnival. Yes, it was a carnival. And what a carnival! The atmosphere couldn’t have been more convivial and peaceable.

    The gathering was diverse, emblematic of the Malaysian identity – Indian, Malay and Chinese; young, middle-aged and old; priest and laity; rich and the not-so-rich; politicians, NGOs and the ordinary voters.

    A truer representation of what Malaysia represents would be hard to replicate. We came because we wanted to – for love of our country.

    It was as simple as that. Continue reading “Merdeka when I was six, true democracy at 60?”

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    Bersih, the humbling of government

    By Sakmongkol AK47
    The Malaysian Insider
    Jul 10, 2011

    JULY 10 — And then the whole country erupts into chaos. This is what I’m worried about. The government also keeps flip-flopping on whether it will allow the rally to go on or not. It needs to rule with a firmer hand!”

    Now Ibrahim Ali is making sense. The whole country erupts into chaos because this country hasn’t got a firm leadership.

    But how does Ibrahim Ali define firm? By applying the big stick on Ambiga? On Bersih? It seems according to Ibrahim, general of Perkasa, Malay of the Malays, the government is firm only if they lock up Ambiga (who’s trying to undermine the Malays, who is a threat to Islam etc.). The government is firm only when it does the bidding of Ibrahim Ali.

    It depends who is defining what. Some people will say the government is firm if it arrests Ibrahim Ali and leaders of martial arts groups who subvert the legal apparatuses of coercion in this country- the police and the military. By not reigning in the forces of ‘our 3rd line of defence’ the government is sending messages that other groupings can elevate their questionable statuses into respectable 3rd line defence forces. Continue reading “Bersih, the humbling of government”

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    Kit Siang accuses Najib of being insincere in Bersih row

    By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
    July 07, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

    KUALA LUMPUR, July 7 — DAP leader Lim Kit Siang accused Datuk Seri Najib Razak today of being insincere and irresponsible for continuing with the Bersih clampdown, despite the group heeding the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s call to hold the July 9 rally in a stadium.

    The election watchdog has chosen Stadium Merdeka as the venue for this Saturday’s rally. Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar has however told the polls reform group to hold its rally outside of the capital. Continue reading “Kit Siang accuses Najib of being insincere in Bersih row”

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    Gov’t briefing on Bersih threat comes unstuck

    By Terence Netto
    Jul 6, 11 | MalaysiaKini

    A briefing yesterday by the police and the Election Commission meant to give credence to government claims that the planned Bersih march was fraught with the threat of violence came unstuck when it ran into a thicket of sceptical questions from those being briefed.

    Present at the briefing which was held in a leading hotel in Kuala Lumpur even as Bersih’s top leaders were being granted an audience by the king at Istana Negara, were some 30 members comprising leaders of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST), Suhakam, and a couple of NGOs. Continue reading “Gov’t briefing on Bersih threat comes unstuck”

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    Is Putrajaya joking about Bersih?

    By The Malaysian Insider
    July 06, 201

    JULY 6 — The circumstances surrounding the July 9 Bersih rally have been changing since the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin issued a rare edict and met both the prime minister and Bersih leaders.

    Somethings haven’t changed. Bersih is still outlawed. Wearing their yellow T-shirt with the word Bersih will land you in the lock-up.

    Government agencies like Stadium Merdeka are waiting for the Cabinet to direct them whether to accept Bersih’s application. The police are waiting for Bersih’s application which must state the venue. Continue reading “Is Putrajaya joking about Bersih?”

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    PR backs Bersih’s Merdeka Stadium plan, expects 300,000

    By Melissa Chi and Lisa J. Ariffin
    July 06, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

    KUALA LUMPUR, July 6 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) announced today that they supported Bersih 2.0’s proposal to have the rally in Merdeka Stadium on July 9, although the request to use the stadium has yet to be approved.

    “So Pakatan Rakyat supports Bersih to hold their rally in Stadium Merdeka although in the latest report, the prime minister, especially the home minister, took a turn and had purposely given all kinds of excuses not to allow the use of the stadium,” Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim told reporters here after a PR Leadership Council meeting. Continue reading “PR backs Bersih’s Merdeka Stadium plan, expects 300,000”

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    Bersih and the fall of reason

    By Art Harun
    July 06, 2011

    JULY 6 — “I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death.” ~ Thomas Paine

    The events unfolding before our eyes in the past few weeks say a lot about us as a collection of individuals; as a society and as a people. What is clear, however, is the sad fact that when we are faced with adversity, we tend to lose our head and retreat into the same old dark and cold cave of emotions, of irrationality and of convenient rhetoric. Continue reading “Bersih and the fall of reason”

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    Bersih and the inane responses

    By Sakmongkol AK47
    July 06, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

    JULY 6 — This present government has developed one distinguishing characteristic not unlike the previous administration. If the previous administration was maligned as being uninspiring and sleeping through its job, this present government isn’t that far from being similarly aspersed. How so?

    It has shown it has a knack of being inept at handling small shocks to the system. Many of us for example are not supporters of Anwar Ibrahim, but the manner the government handles the Anwar affairs — whether it’s the sodomy 2 charge or the recent video clip showing a person resembling Anwar in a sexual tryst, the administration has shown its ineptness and incompetence. Continue reading “Bersih and the inane responses”

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    Bersih 2.0: A long march to freedom

    By Keruah Usit
    Jul 6, 11 | MalaysiaKini

    ANTIDOTE The new sanitised Bersih 2.0 rally is now purer and whiter. Thanks to the Agong’s intervention, the rally for free and fair elections will be confined to a stadium.

    This change of scene will make the rally easier to control, from premier Najib Abdul Razak’s point of view. It will also dampen some of the supporters’ enthusiasm.

    Being hemmed in, demonstrators will inevitably curb some of their long suppressed drive to show their defiance of the ruling coalition and its faithful enforcers in the police force. Continue reading “Bersih 2.0: A long march to freedom”

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    Hishammuddin and Police should respect and uphold the YDPA intervention by full co-operation with Bersih

    The Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and the police should respect and uphold the Yang di Pertuan Agong’s wise and just intervention in the Bersih 2.0 impasse by full co-operation with Bersih to make the July 9 Bersih 2.0 stadium rally a peaceful and orderly one as well as end all harassment against persons for wearing Bersih T-shirt and other paraphernalia and release all such items seized in past 10 days.

    Hishammuddin and the police should pay special heed to advice by the Yang di Pertuan Agong in his special statement on Sunday where he said: Continue reading “Hishammuddin and Police should respect and uphold the YDPA intervention by full co-operation with Bersih”

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    Will ‘fortress BN’ fall?

    By Sheridan Mahavera | July 06, 2011
    The Malaysian Insider

    Are you satisfied with the current Johor govt?KUALA LUMPUR, July 6 — It may be known as Barisan Nasional’s (BN) fixed deposit in the Malay peninsula, but a recent straw poll showed that more than 30 per cent of Johoreans want Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in charge of the state and country.

    Though this is low compared with other states, it could be a bellwether of how ordinary folk all over the country feel towards the ruling coalition.

    Except for the 2008 elections, Johoreans have always given BN near-unquestioning support. Even as the DAP and PAS won the most number of seats of any non-BN party in that year (six state and one parliament), some of their candidates also lost their election deposits campaigning in south-eastern Johor.
    Continue reading “Will ‘fortress BN’ fall?”

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    Ten conditions for Umno

    by Bahaman Abdullah
    The Malaysian Insider
    Jul 05, 2011

    JULY 5 — Since Ibrahim Ali is so fond of giving everyone ultimatums (the latest being to MCA, Gerakan and Ambiga Sreenivasan), I suggest we give Umno and Najib Razak a list of 10 conditions to be met if he wants the support of urban Malaysia.

    1) Distance yourself publicly from Ibrahim Ali and Perkasa. Failure to do so will be taken as a sign that all the garbage from Ibrahim is endorsed by the Umno president and his kuncu-kuncu.

    2) Stop using divide and rule tactics to keep Malaysians apart. The only reason why BN worried about Bersih is that this election reform movement appears to have brought Malaysians of different races and religious groups together.

    3) Tackle corruption and start by investigating cabinet ministers, senior politicians for living way, way beyond their means. Continue reading “Ten conditions for Umno”

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    History’s lessons

    by Karim Raslan
    The Malaysian Insider
    Jul 05, 2011

    JULY 5 — Malaysian contemporary history has started to loop back on itself. Instead of going forward and progressing, we are going backwards, repeating the past: Sodomy 1 and Sodomy 2, Bersih 1 and Bersih 2.

    There are those who would argue that the political missteps have little impact on our economy. I would disagree. In order for the Malaysian economy to grow further and move to the next level, we need a political transformation — we need an injection of transparency, accountability and the dynamism that comes from an open society.

    Sadly, the forces of darkness are too powerful and entrenched. As such much of the flow of domestic capital and human resource overseas is directly attributable to the government’s determination to reject change.

    When talk of Bersih 2.0 first surfaced a few weeks ago, I remember thinking it was a total waste of time. To my mind, the civil society agenda had been sidelined by widespread concerns over galloping inflation and rising prices. Continue reading “History’s lessons”

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    Bersih 2.0: Winners and losers

    The Malaysian Insider
    Jul 05, 2011

    KUALA LUMPUR, July 5 — So it is settled, after weeks of harassment and thuggish behaviour by the government, the people for free and fair elections will gather in a stadium on July 9.

    This episode has once again demonstrated how fractious and divided Malaysia is with enlightened and liberal Malaysia on one side and almost facist powers on the other.

    Some individuals emerge from this episode with reputations intact, others with image destroyed forever. The Malaysian Insider gives our take on the winners and losers.

    Winners

    • The organisers of Bersih: let’s be honest, until a few weeks ago this was a movement at the periphery of most Malaysians. Okay, so some 100,000 people would have marched on the streets on KL. But thanks to the government’s blanket arrests, use of draconian laws and decision to behave like a repressive regime, Bersih became a buzzword. Much to the government’s chagrin, everyone has forgotten about Datuk T, all the wonderful projects under the ETP. Today, people remember Bersih as the people fighting for clean and fair elections, and the Barisan Nasional (BN) government as the people frightened of free and fair elections. Continue reading “Bersih 2.0: Winners and losers”