Sunday, April 29, 2012
Saturday, April 28, 2012
BERSIH 3.0 : The Storm Gathers
It has already started last night.
Earlier yesterday evening at the Jalan TAR - Jalan Tun Perak intersection, a crowd gathers as the Dataran is blockaded by the City Council with barriers and barbed-wire and cordoned off by police.
The crowd which started with a few hundred, grew to an estimated 2,000 by 12.30 am.
While the crowd grew in number, a smaller group of the Occupy Dataran movement which had been encamped since April 14th at the Dataran were told to leave the square where they had gathered for their nightly programmes. They moved towards the crowd, banners fluttering much to the delight of the gathering crowd.
Earlier yesterday evening at the Jalan TAR - Jalan Tun Perak intersection, a crowd gathers as the Dataran is blockaded by the City Council with barriers and barbed-wire and cordoned off by police.
The crowd which started with a few hundred, grew to an estimated 2,000 by 12.30 am.
While the crowd grew in number, a smaller group of the Occupy Dataran movement which had been encamped since April 14th at the Dataran were told to leave the square where they had gathered for their nightly programmes. They moved towards the crowd, banners fluttering much to the delight of the gathering crowd.
Friday, April 27, 2012
A prayer for all taking part in Bersih 3.0
The clock is ticking away hauntingly for those who are detached from, hostile towards or indifferent about this hour of reckoning for Bersih 3.0 on April 28, 2012.
But there is no time or grace to waste on such people who are blind, deaf and without feelings of and for humanity's struggles to realise civilisation.So here is a prayer for all of us who will be there united together here in Malaysia and all over the planet Earth for the betterment of Malaysia for all Malaysians:
As we track the days, hours, minutes and finally the seconds of our watch for April 28, 2012, may the heavens open up and let the rays of hope, aspiration and unity ignite our hearts.
As we walk together - north, south, east and west of this country that we call home, may the heavens raise our souls to uphold the brotherhood that we all share as part of this planet's humanity.
May our spirits not waver; may our bones not ache; may our blood not spill - for this march to sit-in and protest springs not from hatred but peace; was sowed not with divisiveness but nurtured with oneness.
Indeed as brothers and sisters of one land we have wept for far too long with hope that there will be mercy from those who stood in our ways as we pleaded for justice and fairness.
Indeed as brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, friends and relatives, uncles and aunts, we raised our pleas through so many channels and in so many ways and in so many times that demonstrated our peaceful ways, our tolerant spirits, our hopeful prayers.
But all was in vain.
And so, we march to sit-in and protest and ask the planet on which we occupy to send a resounding vibration to the four corners of our nation relaying our silent yet loud, peaceful yet firm, tolerant yet resolute determination to correct all that has been wronged for the past half a century in this blessed and fortunate country.
Let the heavens bless our endeavours; let the sky be the only canopy that can crown our success - for we see in this determined solidarity no jewels to be flashed; no haughty power to be grabbed; no absolute control to be harnessed.
Our quest is for all Malaysians, king and subjects. Our agenda is for all humanity. Our commitment is justice, fairness and solidarity without discrimination.
We are coming together because of national duty. We are in it together because of we have a duty to uphold our revered constitution. We will stand united because we love our King, our land and our brothers and sisters we call Malaysians.
And as we sing the ‘Negara-Ku', the deceitful, the self-glorified, the selfish, the mean, the thieving, the failures of humanity - all of them must shudder, shiver and dismantle.
Viva Malaysians. Let us show the world that peace, justice, fairness, democracy and civil liberties rightfully belong to humanity and no man (or woman) has the power and mandate to manipulate and abuse that right.
There is no democracy if it is 'managed' to serve only some hidden interests; there is no civil liberties if it is controlled and manipulated to preferred agendas of tyrants and regimes.
And we will for the Book of Records light that torch of democratic rights and strike open that spring of civil liberties merely by humbly marching peacefully and culminating in a sit-in protest for the world to witness.
May peace, safety, relief and joy be our only reward. For Malaysia is being born anew for all Malaysians. This moment of truth is ours for all Malaysians; is one for all future Malaysians. It is a defining reality for the world to emulate, making this planet a better place for all.
Let history be our witness. Let the heavens be our companion. Let the earth we stand on be our support. Let all Malaysians be for all Malaysians.
For justice must win; civil liberties must be rightfully reinstated; democracy re-ignited; peace and prosperity returned to society where it rightfully belongs.
God bless our day.
God bless our day.
Bersih and the rakyat, come what may
One is entitled to accuse those who are determined to take to the streets tomorrow of being obstinate troublemakers or even ‘fanatics’, but the crux of the issue is: is Dataran Merdeka so sacred that any unauthorised use of is tantamount to sacrilege?
I have seen Mat Rempit play with their precious lives there umpteen times, and the police were nowhere to be seen even though these unruly youths pose a far greater threat to the public. So what is holding Dewan Bandaraya KL back from giving the green light to the Bersih 3.0 sit-in protest?
Someone must be trying to pull the government’s leg. But if the Najib Abdul Razak administration is truly serious about serving the people and gaining their trust, it must stop dithering over a simple event.
From Wong Chun Wai of The Star to Tay Tian Yan of Sin Chew Dailyto the now largely irrelevant Chew Mei Fun (Chew who?), much praise has been heaped on the prime minister as a man of principle and high calibre. But when Najib cannot even rein in a little Napoleon called Ahmad Fuad Ismail, it only shows that his promises on electoral reform and ‘best democracy’ are nothing but hyperbolic and farcical.
Will any of these ‘media professionals’ and political has-beens now dare to tell Najib he must not place himself at the mercy of some recalcitrant bureaucrat, who does not even have a popular mandate to sit in his mayoral office in the first place?
Najib’s apprenticeship has entered its fourth year, and he has broken a Malaysian record by becoming the longest-serving provisional prime minister in the country.
Hussein Onn (right) went to the country two-and-a-half years after he took over the administration, while Mahathir Mohamad called a general election within one year of succeeding his predecessor, although his Bersih, Cekap dan Amanah campaign will forever remind him and the Malaysian people of his utter failure as a visionary-wannabe.
Even Abdullah Ahmad Badawi - who is not a leader with a backbone made of steel - did not hesitate to ask for a fresh mandate: he dissolved Parliament barely four months into his premiership, and won rather handsomely on a post-Mahathir positive sentiment.
Given the disastrous results in the last election, Najib naturally would want to procrastinate as much as possible to give himself more time to strategise and, more to the point, to pacify the various factions within Umno by dishing out more goodies. But he should at least see it right to allow the sit-in protest to happen. The fact that he has not been able to do so only proves that he is a mediocre PM who can only ensure victory by all means - be they foul or fair.
Split down the middle
The country is split down the middle now. While the calls for greater democratisation are growing louder by the day, there still remains a sizeable number of Malaysians who remain sceptical and wary of street protest. They may be those who are afraid of chaos, although the past has made it crystal clear that mayhem was almost always the result of an excessive police crackdown and a paranoid government.
Then there are people who are used to all the privileges that they have been enjoying for decades - whether it is the bumiputra status that comes with economic security or the readily available largesse by virtue of being ‘the right crony’ - and hence refuse to change.
For this group of people, their resistance to peaceful street protest originates more from a deep-down fear of losing their advantages than from any genuine concern for public order.
But there has to be a paradigm shift in Malaysian politics because the nation cannot afford to live forever under political fear. As tax-payers and free-minded citizens, Malaysians have the right to express their opinion even in the form of public action, including claiming back Dataran Merdeka from Umno’s and, by extension, Barisan Nasional’s monopoly, which has built so much myth of national liberation around it at the expense of the country’s future.
One only has to witness the way their leaders are eating high on the hog.
What matters most is that civil society and the general public must not be absent from the meaningful event. The issue is not about Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Kit Siang, Hadi Awang or whether a non-Malay can present a better, alternative government, but about transparency, integrity and justice.
It is also about giving Malaysians a chance to drive out their fear and empower themselves politically. One needs no hero in this endeavour, for everyone can take charge of everyone’s own life by being wise, gentle yet bold in demanding a say in national affairs.
When East Germany was experiencing an upheaval in 1989 that would eventually consign the iron regime of the communists to history, many attributed the amazingly speedy democratic process to Mikhail Gorbachev.
President Richard von Weizsacker, West German president at the time, went a step further by crediting both the reform-minded Soviet leader and the brave East German church which had been working behind the scenes to protect political dissidents and provide them with a platform to spread their ideals.
Even the Lady would be nobody without the faithful and persistent masses in Burma.
If Malaysia was one day to be free of Umno’s tutelage, we might one day look back and congratulate each other by saying, ‘Well done, Bersih and the rakyat’.
For that to happen, one must stand up and be counted now, come what may.
I have seen Mat Rempit play with their precious lives there umpteen times, and the police were nowhere to be seen even though these unruly youths pose a far greater threat to the public. So what is holding Dewan Bandaraya KL back from giving the green light to the Bersih 3.0 sit-in protest?Someone must be trying to pull the government’s leg. But if the Najib Abdul Razak administration is truly serious about serving the people and gaining their trust, it must stop dithering over a simple event.
From Wong Chun Wai of The Star to Tay Tian Yan of Sin Chew Dailyto the now largely irrelevant Chew Mei Fun (Chew who?), much praise has been heaped on the prime minister as a man of principle and high calibre. But when Najib cannot even rein in a little Napoleon called Ahmad Fuad Ismail, it only shows that his promises on electoral reform and ‘best democracy’ are nothing but hyperbolic and farcical.
Will any of these ‘media professionals’ and political has-beens now dare to tell Najib he must not place himself at the mercy of some recalcitrant bureaucrat, who does not even have a popular mandate to sit in his mayoral office in the first place?
Najib’s apprenticeship has entered its fourth year, and he has broken a Malaysian record by becoming the longest-serving provisional prime minister in the country.
Hussein Onn (right) went to the country two-and-a-half years after he took over the administration, while Mahathir Mohamad called a general election within one year of succeeding his predecessor, although his Bersih, Cekap dan Amanah campaign will forever remind him and the Malaysian people of his utter failure as a visionary-wannabe.Even Abdullah Ahmad Badawi - who is not a leader with a backbone made of steel - did not hesitate to ask for a fresh mandate: he dissolved Parliament barely four months into his premiership, and won rather handsomely on a post-Mahathir positive sentiment.
Given the disastrous results in the last election, Najib naturally would want to procrastinate as much as possible to give himself more time to strategise and, more to the point, to pacify the various factions within Umno by dishing out more goodies. But he should at least see it right to allow the sit-in protest to happen. The fact that he has not been able to do so only proves that he is a mediocre PM who can only ensure victory by all means - be they foul or fair.
Split down the middle
The country is split down the middle now. While the calls for greater democratisation are growing louder by the day, there still remains a sizeable number of Malaysians who remain sceptical and wary of street protest. They may be those who are afraid of chaos, although the past has made it crystal clear that mayhem was almost always the result of an excessive police crackdown and a paranoid government.
Then there are people who are used to all the privileges that they have been enjoying for decades - whether it is the bumiputra status that comes with economic security or the readily available largesse by virtue of being ‘the right crony’ - and hence refuse to change.
For this group of people, their resistance to peaceful street protest originates more from a deep-down fear of losing their advantages than from any genuine concern for public order.
But there has to be a paradigm shift in Malaysian politics because the nation cannot afford to live forever under political fear. As tax-payers and free-minded citizens, Malaysians have the right to express their opinion even in the form of public action, including claiming back Dataran Merdeka from Umno’s and, by extension, Barisan Nasional’s monopoly, which has built so much myth of national liberation around it at the expense of the country’s future.
One only has to witness the way their leaders are eating high on the hog.
What matters most is that civil society and the general public must not be absent from the meaningful event. The issue is not about Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Kit Siang, Hadi Awang or whether a non-Malay can present a better, alternative government, but about transparency, integrity and justice.
It is also about giving Malaysians a chance to drive out their fear and empower themselves politically. One needs no hero in this endeavour, for everyone can take charge of everyone’s own life by being wise, gentle yet bold in demanding a say in national affairs.
When East Germany was experiencing an upheaval in 1989 that would eventually consign the iron regime of the communists to history, many attributed the amazingly speedy democratic process to Mikhail Gorbachev.
President Richard von Weizsacker, West German president at the time, went a step further by crediting both the reform-minded Soviet leader and the brave East German church which had been working behind the scenes to protect political dissidents and provide them with a platform to spread their ideals.
Even the Lady would be nobody without the faithful and persistent masses in Burma.If Malaysia was one day to be free of Umno’s tutelage, we might one day look back and congratulate each other by saying, ‘Well done, Bersih and the rakyat’.
For that to happen, one must stand up and be counted now, come what may.
JOSH HONG studied politics at London Metropolitan University and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. A keen watcher of domestic and international politics, he longs for a day when Malaysians will learn and master the art of self-mockery, and enjoy life to the full in spite of politicians.
[Article contributed by Josh Hong]
Court order issued against Bersih rally
The police have obtained a court order against Bersih 3.0 organisers and the public from gathering at Dataran Merdeka tomorrow.
Also named in the order, issued by Magistrate Zaki Asyraf Zubir at 8.30pm last night, was Bersih 3.0 chairperson S Ambiga.
According to a source, the police sought the order upon the instruction of the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
The order effectively barred anyone from gathering at Dataran Merdeka tomorrow and from holding any rally within its vicinity.
During the previous Bersih rally in July, the police only obtained a court order against 91 inviduals including Ambiga, Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali from being at certain parts of Kuala Lumpur.
This time around the police included the public in its list.
Bersih: We will continue
Responding to the latest development, Bersih 3.0 steeting committee member Wong Chin Huat said they would try to get “as close as possible” to Dataran Merdeka.
Responding to the latest development, Bersih 3.0 steeting committee member Wong Chin Huat said they would try to get “as close as possible” to Dataran Merdeka.
“We will continue,” he vowed, adding that the authorities could do as it wished but in the end it was the will of the people that would prevail.
Himpunan Hijau 2.0 steering committee member Clement Chin also stood firm in his decision to back Bersih 3.0.
“We would back Bersih 3.0 come rain or shine. Whatever it is, we would be there tomorrow,” he told FMT.
He added that this was about solidarity and Bersih’s struggles were about fundamental rights of the common man.
“We are suffering due to corruption and poor governance. If the authorities cannot allow us from expressing our grievances, how can the government function properly?” he asked.
Bar Council: This is unecessary
Bar Council vice-president Christopher Leong said that the latest action by the police was unnecessary.
Bar Council vice-president Christopher Leong said that the latest action by the police was unnecessary.
He also said the authorities seemed to be hell-bent on pursuing a head-on collission with the public on the matter.
“The police could have just facilitated this peaceful rally which would probably end in two hours time,” he added.
Suhakam commissioner Muhammad Shaani Abdullah called the latest development an “over-reaction” by the police.
He also said the right to assemble was a basic human right and it was protected under the Federal Constitution.
“We are no longer in the 1960s where there were criminal elements to disrupt the nation’s security. The realities now are different and the authorities should facilitate a public rally,” he added.
The human rights commissioner said the police should not be seen as taking sides on the matter.
“But now the authorities are taking a confrontational approach. You are not helping in coming up with a solution. These are Malaysian citizens we are talking about,” he said.
Shaani backed his statement by saying that previous Suhakam inquiries showed that most rallies had been peaceful until the authorities intervened.
He also said that about 20 of his officers would be deployed to monitor tomorrow’s rally.
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