What is fuelling the protests and rallies and candlelight vigils and prayer gatherings? If we look at the Hindraf protest, it would be easy to conclude that the main issue is ethnic and religious discrimination, which has left many Indian Malaysians feeling disgruntled. But then again, it is not only Indian Malaysians who have protested. In the case of the Bersih rally, large number of Malay Malaysians, many of them low-income, have also turned up to voice their unhappiness. Prior to that, during the MTUC demonstrations to demand a monthly minimum wage of RM900 and a cost of living allowance of RM300, the vast majority of those who protested were also Malay Malaysians. There is a common denominator in all three of these protests. The majority of those who protested were from the low-income group. Why was this, I wondered. Could it have something to do with the wide gulf [Read more]
Some two dozen activists and other concerned Malaysians held a candlelight vigil in central George Town, Penang to uphold the right to freedom of assembly on a day which saw five Hindraf leaders detained under the ISA. The small crowd, which included Aliran and Suaram members, gathered at 8.50pm at the Penang Road/Kimberley Road junction, under the watchful eyes of Big Brother. A couple of dozen police personnel were present, too close for comfort. According to a source at the scene, quite a few others in plainclothes were loitering about, apart from about 20 reporters covering the event. The police did not allow those gathered to use a loud-hailer or to read out their declaration in three languages. They even blamed them for causing traffic congestion! So, the small crowd was ordered to disperse but not before these concerned Malaysian broke out in song – “We shall overcome”. Total vigil [Read more]
More arrests today. This time largely targeting the Bersih group and the Hindraf leaders. I have lost track of the number of people arrested, released, re-arrested, denied bail, charged with illegal assembly, “causing mischief”, “attempted murder”, sedition… All this while the Attorney General personally appears in court and tries to deny people bail. What on earth is the administration of Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi trying to do? Doesn’t he know this does not reflect well on him – and on Malaysia? It reveals insecurity, lack of confidence, and an unwillingness to really analyse the root causes of the unhappiness and disenchantment. Perhaps that unwillingness to analyse the issues indicates that they already know what the underlying grievances are – and it’s not a pretty picture for it would point squarely to the BN, their cronies and the system that promote vested corporate interests. It would reveal that workers in the [Read more]
