The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

Posted: 16 Jul 2011 06:11 PM PDT

JULY 17 — Barisan Nasional has proven to this nation and its citizenry time and again, if not just rather blatantly in the recent days through their denials and openly disproven lies, that it is arrogant, relentlessly hostile and even, and you may quote me on this, downright stupid.

Let's begin by stating the obvious for those who read my piece on LoyarBurok. Yes, I did join the Bersih 2.0 rally, wearing pink. Unfortunately I didn't brandish a gigantic yellow umbrella as promised, so for that I apologise.

That aside, the experience was an eye-opener on two levels. One was very obviously the crackdown by the police force and the government. Second was the charity and compassion of those who took part in the Bersih 2.0 rally themselves.

For the first point, I wish to submit a request to our government. If you truly want to lie to the public and control the spin of what really happened during the Bersih 2.0 rally, then I suggest you take out the national 50 per cent broadband penetration agenda from your agenda for Malaysia.

Because, dear members of my government who I did not vote for, increasing Internet access, and being a stupid liar while there are videos and photos emblazoned all over cyberspace to prove that you are in fact a stupid liar is like having you coming to my doorstep, pissing on my foot and telling me to vote for you.

As for the second point, it was on this day that I truly saw charity, unity and compassion at its best. True, people were screaming political slogans and even religious doctrine as well, but it didn't matter.

Those who didn't adhere to either religious or even political views kept chanting slogans in line with Bersih. This was also the day where mineral water, isotonic beverages and salt were shared among the people, regardless of race or religion.

Barisan Nasional used to be the party of unity for all races, with each single component party taking care of their own groups based on the racial divide. This all took place historically during an era where there was racial segregation of every single aspect of life within the nation, from economic to housing. It was the way the British worked, and the establishment of all these parties — Umno, MCA and MIC — were to look out for the interests of their specific racial communities.

Sincerely speaking, after some 50 odd years, Malaysians have moved past that. Unfortunately, for some odd reason, Umno has not. And MCA, once a conservative Chinese lobby group for the economic interests of the Chinese which evolved to support the rights of the Chinese people in the nation, is nothing more than a shadow of its true self. And as for the MIC, they've become irrelevant.

I was truly surprised to hear that the MCA did not come out to condemn the tear gas bombing and water cannon spraying of two truly Chinese medical institutions, Tung Shin Hospital and also the Chinese Maternity Hospital. That in itself just shows how the MCA, once speaking out for the Chinese community, has become a toothless tiger.

As a closing, I have two questions for our prime minister.

Umno hosted a gathering of 6,000 members after Bersih 2.0 as a show of force. In fact, in his speech, the party president and our prime minister stated that Umno can gather 6,000 people in under a day, and, with three million members, can "conquer" Kuala Lumpur at any given time.

So, my first question would be; in 2008, where were these three million members when you lost all but one seat in Kuala Lumpur?

And secondly, if you truly preach 1 Malaysia, why weren't MCA and MIC invited to this event at PWTC?

After all, Bersih 2.0 was a gathering of people from every state, religion, race and political identity. That being said, it is my humble opinion that Bersih 2.0 has proven the prime minister to be one of the worst leaders since Bush 2.0.

* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.

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Good cop, bad cop

Posted: 16 Jul 2011 05:10 PM PDT

JULY 17 — A few days ago, I had a conversation with a taxi driver who was excited about July 9th. While he had supported the rally, and could list out the points for free and fair elections, he was too scared to attend because of the heavy police presence.

He told me of a Vietnamese passenger he had that day, who was curious about the many roadblocks around the city.

"I explained to him about the rally, and how the police were there to stop the people from entering the city."

The Vietnamese was so surprised at his explanation, he told me.

"He said that it should be the other way around. That the police should be impartial, be there to protect the people, and let them rally for a few hours. He told me Malaysia is not a democracy. It's true, isn't it? Malaysia isn't a democracy?"

I have but mixed feelings about the police and FRU behaviour on that day myself.

In my opinion, the tear gas attack in the KL Sentral tunnel was heavy-handed and extremely dangerous. [See my first-hand account of what happened in the tunnel on LoyarBurok: While there were some injuries (Anwar Ibrahim was among those who was hurt when shot at with a tear gas canister), there were thankfully no other casualties in the tunnel that day.

However, it could have been a different story. We cannot forget how Baharuddin Ahmad had paid for his rally participation with his life. Currently there are accusations that the police had withheld immediate treatment for Baharuddin.

I ask this: is tear gas or chemical water the wisest way to disperse groups of peaceful, and unarmed rally participants? Especially when they have nowhere else to run but into a confined space?

It was cruel and unnecessary, especially since the FRU were apparently ordered to fire tear gas canisters directly towards the people. What I saw that day, seems to confirm this accusation.

Then there are accusations of police brutality towards men who were suffering from the effects of tear gas. Don't just take my word for it, take a look at the many videos documenting such attacks. In my opinion, it is not very brave to tackle people who are already partly incapacitated.

And yet, when the dust was settled, and the police had captured the people that they wanted to capture, we were treated with kindness and decency.

The police kept offering us water, and food. All acts of intimidation were dropped — and why not? We were already caught like lambs to the slaughter.

One officer told me, "Saya hanya ikut arahan."

"Ya, saya faham tapi polis juga harus adil dan tidak ikut arahan membuta-tuli."

I wanted to explain more but felt tired and confused.

While I have some sympathy for the police who felt that they were just doing their jobs, I feel that they, and the rest of us, have to take personal responsibility for their own actions.

We do have a choice to take the extra step, whether to withhold treatment for a dying man, or to punch someone who is already gasping for air and on the ground.

We have a choice to be humane, and yet still do our job.

I hope for the day where the rakyat can fully trust the Malaysian police in being treated with fairness and decency. I hope for the day that when I, along with thousands of fellow countrymen, who decide once again to assemble peacefully as per our Constitutional right, will be protected by the police, instead of being harassed, shot at with tear gas, and chased down. I hope for the day where I see the Malaysian police as my protector, instead of my oppressor.

In the meantime, I will wear yellow every Saturday, in support for the on-going call for electoral reforms in my country.

* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.

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Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Ahad, 17 Julai 2011

The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

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