I went.
And so, I was there.
There have already been numerous accounts of people who wrote and shared their experience of the rally.
9 July 2011 - Bersih 2.0
A historical day indeed.
A day where I could not just watch. It was a day which highlighted, a matured caring Malaysia. And they marched the streets. For good reasons.
I am glad to have been part of the experience.
"The Police's presence were strong everywhere. Seemingly to protect peace and order. Undeniably, they can lie it to the ignorant, but those whose eyes are open and civilized, let's just say they were merely following orders.
We took the LRT to Masjid Jamek. On our way there we saw the empty streets of KL. Void of cars excepts red barricades, and men in uniforms. It was a sight to behold, and also a sight meant to intimidate.
We arrived at the station, hearing chants of the crowds outside. The shutters were down, seemingly to protect the people from the crowd. Little did they know that we wanted to join in the crowd.
Stepping out of the station, you can feel it in the air. The tension, the anxiety.... It wasn't coming from the crowd. Somehow I felt the vibes coming from the men in blue.
Sight of red FRU vehicles, countless of Policemen in lined formation. It looked almost like a national parade where people would have stood in awe seeing it passes by. Instead, when I saw it, I had this thing churning in my stomach that says "NO! I will not be intimidated."
We tried to find our away around to join in the rally. Like a mouse in a maze, we were just lost on the empty streets. We saw groups of people scattered on the streets; like us; wondering where to go. And nope, Google map on iPhone did not helped. (I shouldn't have thrown away my printed map!)
(I should interject at this point, 7Eleven was doing brisk business! Many people bought stuffs like they were going on picnic.)
Giving up, we made our way back to the station again. And then we heard it.... Shots were fired. Expectantly, I was calm. I mean, I would have guessed it would happen. I was prepared to hear shots going off.
As we arrived at the station, there we saw the FRU vehicles, the Police marching onwards. And so, the excitement began.
Little did we know then, we were still at the wrong side of the crowd...... Or maybe was it "right" for some reasons?
As we follow where they were heading, it lead us toward Menara Maybank. And then we saw it.
Just like what I've seen on videos; I am now seeing it LIVE!
Water canon spraying out blue chemicals. Tear gas being launched......
But what's all that?! Where and who? Where were the crowds?
Only much much later when videos and pictures started appearing on the internet, then I saw the magnitude of the crowd. It was a sight to behold.
Yes, we did get a whiff of the tear gas. Its hits the back of the throat, causing some irritation.
Did I tell you I was well prepared for the rally?
Yup! I took out my little towel and covered my nose. And yes, I did bring along a container of salt. (^_^)y
I must put it at this point, that I was irritated by my bro who just can't get his eyes and fingers off Twitter. Sheesshh! What's the whole point of coming to the rally then? Might as well just stay at home and had his eyes glued to the PC.
We made our way up to Menara Maybank just to have a glimpse of what was happening. Couldn't see much as the crowd has dispersed or may have retreated. Tree leaves and people were blocking my view.
After hanging around for a while, we kinda sense that it was time to go. And indeed it was time to go. A video I later viewed showed Policemen running like pack of hungry wolves, hungrily finding defenseless prey to devour.
We started making our way to the stadium. Walking along Chinatown, shops everywhere were closed. Except for some thoughtful vendors who kept their fruits and drinks stall open.
It started to rain, and it was kinda heavy. Friends started reading tweet updates. Reports of the various leaders were caught. And then... So what?
I like this phrase that I saw on one of the FB post.
"Even is you catch a thousand of our leaders, the people are still going to show up". And true enough to what Ambiga herself has said.
It was never about her. It was the people.
As the rain subsided, we walked towards the stadium. There were a small crowd there. Maybe a thousand?
I couldn't believe what I saw. And I thought, "Oh gosh! How cowardly is that?!"
The road leading to the stadium, (without the stadium even in sight!) had been barb-wired. Behind it was a line of Policemen and few metres back were the FRU vehicles, with water canon ready.
Oh gosh.... Why were they hiding behind barb-wire?!
Anyway, with the "high security" of barb-wire, there was no chances of getting anywhere near the stadium. So we just stood there while the crowd chanted.
"Bersih! Bersih! Hidup Bersih!"
We joined in the chants once in a while. The national laureate arrived a while later. He too failed to convinced the authority to allow us assemble peacefully in the stadium. Oh well....
(I've got to let you know, I did a lot of reading on guidelines of what to do and what not to do in a rally. Thanks to all who have kindly put the information in such a creative manner on the internet. One of the main things that I hang on to (besides the Legal Aide numbers) was to be aware of provocateur.)
Just a little rewind, back to the street along Masjid Jamek. I did not see how the man ended up with the Police, but clearly, it looked like he was just asking for trouble. He was wearing a Bersih t-shirt. I am very sure he does know the Police were ever so eager to arrest anybody wearing that. So yea, nobody bothered to intervene for him, just many cameramen clicking away.
This man ("hero") walked away chanting "Pilihanraya Bersih!", "Clean and fair election!"
Back to the stadium, there was no way of getting into it. I must say that I felt safe seeing the volunteers from Bar Council. They have my utmost respect for coming in suits and looking ever so professional. I was told by a friend that they were there as observers. I salute you guys for volunteering your service. That my friend, has showed me that there are Malaysian lawyers who cares.
Seeing that there was no way forward, suddenly someone in the crowd shouted angrily towards the Police. And this is the best part....
The crowd just calmly shushed the guy.
"Shhhh~!!"
How mature is that my friend?!
Oh, you guys really showed me the true spirit of the rally.
Honestly, all we wanted was a peaceful gathering to call for clean and fair election.
And that was what I saw.
People who instigated any violence or disruption was instantly shushed away!! LOL....
And then it was 4pm. That is it guys! We have made our point. And the rally is over. The crowd disperse in a disciplined manner when the time was up.
We walked our way towards KL Sentral. Little did we know the small groups of people became larger and larger and larger.
And soon, it became thousands of people marching down the street! How ironic was that?
And then so we marched. And then so we chanted.
"Bersih! Bersih! Hidup bersih!"
Fellow people who rallied, fellow Malaysians.
Thank you for the experience. That truly was one Malaysia to me."
So I ask myself again. Can I just watch?
No. I can't.
I have to be part of it.
Because I believe in it.
Because I know that it counts.
