Rakyat@work who was on his way to Ipoh to cover the Sunday vigil there reflects:
As we go into regression over (Sunday) night’s pandemonium, many would have formed new impressions and new experiences and witnessed the new rakyat thinking as we move forward into a new Malaysia.
Change is inevitable; it’s happening right here, right now! Whatever course the rakyat choose to take next will determine if we remain stagnant or progress as one human race.
While my travelling mates and I were covering the Ipoh vigil, our hearts were beating for the PJ vigil as early as 7.30pm. Our handphones were literary filled with breaking news every 5 to 10 mins. SMSes were exchanged at a furious pace, back and forth. (All the 4 Ws were put to use: Who? Where? When? Why? and now trying to anwwer the What? What’s all this about? What is going to come out of it? What was it the police were trying to prove? What is the rakyat all about? We can only answer within ourselves. Something was brewing all right but never in my wildest imagination could I have comprehended what was to follow (which is history now):
“I WILL NOT BE COWED!”
I would just like to share with you these SMSes:
Received:
10.20pm “Im detained”
10.24pm “Hear d siren”
11.04pm “Ronnie is here to help”
1.31am “Im angry by those who were handcuffed n manhandled just now I WILL NOT BE COWED!”
Many other SMSes followed….
“I WILL NOT BE COWED!”
In the midst of all this uncertainty and adversity, something Pure is bound to be born. My friends have literally come face to face with reality and now have to choose between FEAR and TRUTH.
I remain hopeful and steadfast. I believe nothing comes easily in lives especially so in our current endeavour for change! There are many more heroic stories to be told and of course some would not be pleasant as well as we now count the days towards a new rakyat-based nation. Sticks and stones may break our bones but it will never touch our souls. We have to shoulder on. One day, one step at a time and soon, soon enough…We’ll learn to cherish moments like this ONE DAY!
One of those arrested, Angela Ooi recalls:
I was there. They most certainly did move in BEFORE the anthem ended… We can now see for ourselves how this… govt… lies….
…The CPO said we had to disperse ‘cos “no permit was asked and no permt was issued”. When I asked would it be issued if asked, he promptly said no. This took place infront of Amcorp when I confronted him before the start of the vigil….
While the rakyat ponder their future, the Prime Minister appears to be in … err, deep thought.
No related posts.
I wonder if the authorities realise that detaining and bullying innocent bystanders who are just curious can turn them into hard-core activists who are angry and committed?
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Men in blue
Rocking on the streets
Shields up batons high
Battling the obedient gathering
Unleashed their form of battery
Charging to create fear
On the peaceful gathering
Singing the national anthem
Patriotism never sings
In this case is it?
Helpless people run
Encountering of the arrogant men in blue
Bossing the people
When they are suppose to protect and serve
Cheap slogans
Posted in the police stations
When come to protect the people
They think differently
Now who gives the order?
The peaceful assembly makes no trouble
Obedient group gathering for a common cause
Believing saying No to ISA
Police shouldn’t run after them
Our tax money uses for different purposes
Antagonizing the people creating fear
With their armory who want to fight
Yet the men in blue
Go after the people
Changes will come
It is in motion no forces can changed it
Come rain and shine
The momentum already rolling
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hi,
admire the perseverance of those who keep the vigil and still hope Malaysia will change. i have given up. Until and unless the majority sees the light tat we are in the same boat against the uncertain world, M’sia has nowhere to go but down. That’s the only change u will get. The 2 groups fighting for equality and ketuanan melayu live in parallel worlds. It will never meet. That’s unfortunately is the truth (at least in my opinion). M’sia is a country where the tail wags the dog. The end result is we all level down to the lowest common denominator (the bottom for which is still uncertain). My thoughts with u guys out there but end of the day we have to be realistic. When all is said and done, we all draw the same conclusion – unless the majority moves, nothing positive will happen and i doubt the majority will move – no one will give up their privileges or power. All the best nonetheless.
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This govt is fast becoming a fascist govt.
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Let’s Fast and Pray for Wisdom, Peace and Tranquility to prevail.
If it rains, let’s accept it as a shower of blessings.
Syabas to all Peacemakers.
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Anil
If we depend on people like Tony Pua to bring about changes in the injustice of the ruling govt, we won’t be going anywhere soon. He was whinning in the precious time given by NTV7. Instead of putting across a message to the public about the resolve to break injustice, he was detailing the punches in girly fashion. No strategy, no charisma, absolutely not sharp to use the opportunity to speak across to the rakyat on the urgency to correct injustice.
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“The CPO said we had to disperse ‘cos “no permit was asked and no permt was issued”. When I asked would it be issued if asked, he promptly said no.”
Follow their regulations, DIE! Don’t follow, ALSO DIE!!!
And the buffon UMNO govn is still wondering where they went wrong during the March Election…..
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Dear Anil,
After 50 years of good life and easy money, UMNO is not going to change soon or at all. They may pay lip service to change and even change certain aspects of their weaknesses for their own survival but certainly not change for the benefit of the nation for the others. They will continue with their agenda of divide and rule. And that they must rule.
The reason why the police is arrogant is because they are (perceived to be) absolutely UMNO controlled and not independent as they should be.
It is the mind-set of Malaysians that we must change first. And yes we can, with patience and humility urging Malaysians and especially the Malays…. that UMNO is all corrupted, (perceived to be) deviant from true Islam, greedy, immoral and abusive even to the good and right-thinking malays who do not subcribe to their agenda.
UMNO have a very strong grip over the rural malays. This grip has to be broken through the right programmes and propaganda machinery of PAS and KeAdilan.
At the moment, UMNO sees the challenge to be from a section of the urban malays only. Urban well informed malays and non-malay urbanites are of little threat to UMNO and Syed Hamid dares to flex his muscles and make all sorts of threats ( definitely with instructions from the top ) because he knows the urban intellectuals are limited in clout, finance and infrastructure to be worrisome for UMNO.
The number of malay intellectuals speaking out against UMNO is still a handful. And MCA and MIC are giving UMNO added ammunition to UMNO to hit back at the urban intellectuals.
Do you see any support from the non UMNO BN components on critical issues such as the economy, ISA, corruption, or any national issues which they know will negatively affect the country in Parliament ?
The momentum for change is not gethering speed. Anwar has slowed it now. And that,s the PROBLEM.
Still, I believe we will overcome this unlawful menace of police violence and UMNO indiscretions against Malaysians. Time itself has an interesting way of instigationg and asserting change. We must however remain the catalyst.
Unlike you, Anil, some of the Bloggers whose missions, though absolutely sincere and focused on the same changes for Malaysia have the tendency to speak out ( or rather write) in manners which are too bombastic and supercilious for the laymen to read.
They should keep the message simple and direct and not try to impress with ‘dissertation’ like arguments.
They should write like RPK ….direct to the point. Call a spade a spade.
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Malaysia is slowly but surely turning into a fascist police state where its people (taxpayers too) are being treated like s*** by the police and people in power! I say, CHANGE!
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* kain pelekat – were you at the press conference? tony pua may have said more but the unfortunate editorial decision may have been only to use that part.
always remember this before you judge a person by what s/he said or did not say according to what was reported by the media (same holds true with print).
* aw cy, i know what you mean about parallel worlds. check this guy’s thoughts for the far right views of a malay. http://deminegara.blogspot.com/
this is my first exposure to ketuanan melayu, thanks to the free flow of information on the internet. although i can find the same thoughts in utusan, that’s a paper i consciously avoid for the debilitating effects reading it has on my health.
and this is the first i’ve encountered that is openly argued with facts, which makes it a notch up on utusan, but still as distressful to read for its intolerance and lack of human rights understanding, particularly given that this writer seems to have travelled beyond the tempurung that most of us live in (one would think that that would have made him have a more all-encompassing view of the world and who we all are, ultimately).
but he is right that we should talk it out openly. this is what the mainstream media has failed to do – bridging the seemingly unbridgeable twains. and i’m glad that i came across this blog whose owner may greet me with open hostility were we to meet, or, at best, treat me as an object of contempt and ridicule to further entrench his deep-seated prejudice against the entire ethnic group to which i happen to belong (as gleaned from his story about his ‘friend’ of chinese ethnicity).
aw cy, i too despair of the long road ahead still. that people here rejoice for obama and the win against racism but fail to see what we do to each other here.
but aw cy, while closed minds are beyond our reach, there are others, the young generation for one, whose minds are not yet poisoned and who are not yet embittered by their prejudices.
the struggle of the blacks did not happen overnight, and certainly not after rosa parks refused to give up her seat for a white man. i encourage you to read howard zinn’s “you can’t be neutral on a moving train”.
if you feel alone, meet up with like-minded friends. don’t let that negative energy take over. always remember the best that humanity offered even in the worst of times.
i’m tired of running. this is my home. the only home i’ve ever known.
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Siew Eng, that is what i meant by lack of strategy. Stick to core message for precious airtime rather than a hundred messages and let them pick the negative part to broadcast.
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TO BE STUCK (& STRUCK) WITH OWN LIES
Those who want to tell outright lies
Will have to live forever with their lies
And must have their own conscience to prick
If they continue on with their lies to stick
(C) Samuel Goh Kim Eng – 101108
http://MotivationInMotion.blogspot.com
Mon. 10th Nov. 2008.
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FIGHT FOR RIGHT WITH NO FRIGHT OR FLIGHT
When you stand up for what is right
Always be ready for a long good fight
With support from all around let there be no fear or flight
Only those who are really in the wrong need to take fright
(C) Samuel Goh Kim Eng – 101108
http://MotivationInMotion.blogspot.com
Mon. 10th Nov. 2008.
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FIGHTING SHY OF LIGHT BY BULLYING
Those who love darkness
Cannot stand the light
When they lack loving kindness
They never act in manner bright
(C) Samuel Goh Kim Eng – 111108
http://MotivationInMotion.blogspot.com
Tue. 11th Nov. 2008.
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Please help DIGG this article on digg! Let the world know!
http://digg.com/world_news/Videos_of_Police_attacking_crowd
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Don’t worry guys, even with heavy police presence & roadblocks hundreds of people walks there. Come this Sunday we (will be at the) Padang again!!! It’s our rights to gather peacefully. For 4 weeks, we have been there peacefully, until the police came in last sunday and make all the chaos.
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Dear aw cy,
Your comments brought much despair to the people reading it. Deep down inside, we all know that the “giving up route” is the easiest route. And we all know the story about the Jews, the Communists and the Muslims. If everyone of us give up and watch from the side with our hands-folded like you do, how would you think someone like RPK could be released?
You also mentioned another point about being “realistic”.
If you notion of realistic is merely about bringing bread to your family and saving enough so that you can migrate at first opportunity, then perhaps it’s time you rethink about your nationality and your roots.
Perhaps things were not easy for you for certain reasons in this country but being a citizen of a country is not only about buying the car you want, earning the money you can or watching a movie you like.
A citizenship/nationality is like a brand. Like how we Malaysians can understand when people speak about Roti Canai and Teh Tarik, or Penang Assam Laksa, or Nasi Lemak, or Laksa Sarawak, or Chicken Rice. It’s when we all get excited when Malaysia is in the final of Thomas Cup, it’s when we are all so proud of Jaclyn Victor winning Malaysian Idol, it’s when we (perceive) the electoral commission (to be unfair) but we move our butts to vote on 8th March to exercise our citizenship, it’s when we were all not sure if RPK would be released during the first few vigils in Padang Timur but we came anyway because we it’s important to support Marina during these times, it’s when you know that the FRU are charging at you when don’t stop singing Negaraku till the last word.
There are so much more things that makes you a Malaysian, why would you give up this brand? Some of the most talented people you will see overseas are Malaysian, and they bring with them whatever is left of Malaysia with them.
So much being said, one “realistic” question for you.
Are you willing to give up your Malaysian passport for another? Where else can you go if you give up now?
I have the right to take up the French passport but I did not. When my husband ask why not, I simply told him it is so that our kids can have the Malaysian passport.
I can see the hope in this country. Are you willing to see it?
Come join us at the candlelight vigil in Padang Timur, you may change your opinion. Bring your wife and kids so that they can be a part of this action. At least when you have tried and failed, you can tell your kids YOU ALL have tried.
The next vigil at Padang Timur will be a peaceful one because is it not a BERSIH event. It is save to bring your kids.
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Anil, WHY was the padang blocked by the blues who parked 2 vehicles at the entrance? Isn’t the padang private property? If it was, why were the people prevented from entering it, thus forcing them to be on the streets and about the mall and then telling us it is unlawful assembly? Has the top cop CPO acted unlawfully with this act? If so, it means he KNOWINGLY broke the law and is therefore, a major disgrace to the police force.
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Aw Cy,
If you find the police presence too scary it’s okay not to attend the vigils. But do CONTINUE to support the fight for change in other ways!
By the way, I’m not as pessimistic as you. More and more people are standing up and saying we won’t take the same old crap anymore. You could be pleasantly surprised by good news in the near future.
Cheers!
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