The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| 284 reasons why Bersih 2.0 must be remembered Posted: 08 Jul 2011 05:23 PM PDT JULY 9 — A few generations from now, budding Malaysian historians will no doubt expound and deliberate over whether July 9, 2011 was the beginning of the end for the Barisan Nasional regime. Although by then the name "BN" will have long disappeared from the lexicon of public discourse, those seeking to trace the roots of the thriving democratic polity in Malaysia would certainly recognise the day of the Bersih 2.0 rally as a watershed moment for the country, and indeed, a day of inglorious infamy for the incumbent government. Future Malaysians will find it difficult to comprehend the series of tumultuous events leading up to this day. They will wonder incredulously at the capricious flip-flopping of the government, and question how their forefathers could have put up with it for so long. They will appreciate the struggle against systemic injustice, but they will also ask why it took so long for the nation to wake. Views will be many and varied. Political analysts will theorise and speculate upon the power struggles that took place, both between the opposing political forces and also those within the ruling coalition. Perhaps they will even single out the stupendous rebellion by the home minister and police chief as key catalytic factors of the crisis. Some will undoubtedly attempt to dissect the semi-feudal dynamics encapsulating the process catalytic the intervention of the King and the open defiance of the royal word by an embattled regime and its overzealous cohorts. Social scientists will also find parallel in the regional context, perhaps even christening the saga with a moniker as they did the "Arab Spring" or "Jasmine Revolution." A few books will invariably be spawned, maybe even a blockbuster movie following the de-politicisation of our film industry. For politicians, it will become the ultimate lesson catalytic how not to run a government, or give me a gun and I'll shoot myself repeatedly. Grandfathers would regale their kin with stories of arrests, roadblocks and how Kuala Lumpur was brought to a virtual standstill. And almost everyone will find it ironic that a mass movement promoting "clean" and fair elections had brought out the dirtiest machinations of the authorities. There are plenty more reasons why people will remember this day, and many more variants in which they will choose to rationalise it. But more than that, more than the possibility of hundreds of thousands of Malaysians taking to the streets, more than the bare exposal of the ruling party's weaknesses and insecurities, is the fact that in the last two and a half weeks, Malaysians have watched in utter disgust and disbelief as the rights of their fellow citizens were flagrantly disregarded for no good reason. Two hundred and eighty four times. This includes the McCarthyistic detention of Dr Jeyakumar Devaraj, A. Letchuman, Sukumaran Munisamy, Sarasvathy Muthu, Sarat Babu and Choo Chon Kai — six Malaysians who care — under the Emergency Ordinance purportedly for "waging war against the King", a treasonous crime punishable by death. This is in addition to the arbitrary arrests of 187 Malaysians since June 22, 2011 for speaking publicly about Bersih 2.0, and in some cases simply for donning a yellow T-shirt. And then we have the 91 Malaysians who have been served restriction orders and warned of consequences if they choose to exercise their basic human right to assembly. July 9, 2011 may well turn out to be the cul-de-sac for the BN regime. Yet whatever happens and however we choose to interpret this episode, there are 284 reasons why we must never forget it. Two hundred and eighty four Malaysians stripped of their rights. Two hundred and eighty four cases of abuse of power. Two hundred and eighty four memories that will haunt the ruling regime. These 284 reasons will ensure that the Barisan Nasional will be, in the near future, a thing of the past. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
| Posted: 08 Jul 2011 05:06 PM PDT JULY 9 — Players are back in training, the start of the Premier League season is less than a month away and the thoughts of fans all over the world are turning to their team's prospects for the forthcoming campaign. But what do those fans think? To find out, I'll give you a break from my own opinions (stop cheering) and, in the style of Plato's Republic (ok, I'm overselling it now), I present to you Dom and Dave's dialogue. Dominic and David are Manchester United fans. Formerly season ticket holders at Old Trafford, work and family commitments have now restricted them to occasional visits and weekly stints in front of the television. So it's fair to take them as a representation of the average United fan. And it appears they're feeling pretty good about the forthcoming Premier League season. Dominic: As you said to me last year: it's in the bag! I think we'll have a really good year again. The central spine of the team will be unchanged — we've lost Scholes but he only played irregularly last season, and with the signings we've made to embellish the team we're only going to get better. Now we've got the record number of titles, I'm feeling very relaxed about the new season. David: True, the team should be better than the one that won the league last season. With Jones coming from Blackburn and Smalling looking good, we've got long-term replacements for Vidic and Ferdinand, and Hernandez should keep on getting better up front. I think our biggest rivals this season are City. They don't concede many goals, and when you've got that defensive solidity in place you just need to make a couple of tweaks. Although that may go against Mancini's nature, they don't need to change much to really challenge if their manager gets a bit braver. Dominic: I'm not sure, Dave. I think City have got a lot of work to do. They're still throwing spaghetti against the wall and hoping it sticks. I agree they will break into the top three at the expense of Arsenal, but I don't think they'll win it. Chelsea are our biggest threat again. David: No way, Dom — Chelsea are going to have a transitional year. That new guy in charge might install some confidence but he's a risk because he's unproven. They've still got the Torres problem, they should sell Drogba and their midfield is pedestrian and old. They haven't got a number 10 — somebody who can create something and put the ball on a plate for the strikers. Dominic: But they've never had that kind of player, and they've won three titles without it... David: Yes, because they've been able to rely on the battering ram approach with Drogba, and Lampard coming in behind him. But they're both past their best now so they've got to change their approach because Torres just isn't that kind of player. He needs service, and that's why they're trying to get Modric because he can create. Dominic: Apparently they bid £22 million (RM105 million) for Modric but Redknapp says that's a joke. I'm not sure about him — he doesn't seem robust enough. Look at the great Premier League midfielders — Vieira, Lampard, Keane... he's not as imposing as they were. And Spurs have set their stall out now by saying they won't sell him. David: That's just a bargaining tool, isn't it? They've publicly dismissed a bid of £22 million so their fans will accept it more when they talk the price up to £40 million. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is proud of getting big transfer fees — there's a story about how he cranked up Berbatov's fee at the last minute. He's doing the same with Modric. He ran the game when we played them at White Hart Lane last season and would be a good signing for Chelsea. I hope they don't get him. Dominic: What about Arsenal, Dave? I think there's a real rot at that club. Clichy's already gone and if they lose Fabregas and Nasri as well, which looks likely, they'll be a lot weaker than last year. David: You know what, Dom – I tipped Arsenal to win the league last year. Everyone laughed but for six months they were always in the top two. But Wenger failed to replace Vermaelen and the keeper and they faded away again. Dominic: Lots of people in the Arsenal world seem to think that Wenger's untouchable and can't be challenged — "Arsene knows" and all that. That's probably not very healthy. David: And how the hell have they let Nasri get down to just a year left on his contract? They should have either re-signed him to a longer deal or sold him by now. Like we did with Ronaldo when it was obvious he wanted to leave. Dominic: What about Liverpool? They seem to be on the rise again under Dalglish and have made some decent signings. David: No, don't worry about Liverpool, Dom. They might break into the top four at Arsenal's expense, but they won't win the league. They were starting from a zero position when Kenny came back last season and the pressures are very different when you're actually trying to win something. Dominic: So Dave, we're saying that United will be strong again, Chelsea are too old, City and Liverpool aren't ready to challenge and Arsenal are fading. Looks like we're going to win the league again! David: Yep, I'll go along with that. Dominic: But we're fans, so we would say that... * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
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