Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
| Posted: 12 Jul 2011 04:46 PM PDT
Two — that if nothing else, Saturday was a reminder to both the Najib administration as well as Pakatan Rakyat that the people of Malaysia are in fact, the boss. Zeffri Yusof, The Malaysian Insider As Malaysia takes in the aftermath of Bersih 2.0, a few things have been laid quite bare by events in our capital over the weekend. One — that tens of thousands of Malaysians can accomplish what most of us already know we're capable of doing: unite for a common cause. And no, not necessarily a drummed-up one handed down from up top, but a grassroots one based on the universal values of justice and fair play that transcends religious, racial and even political interests. The fact is, many of us already do this with our multiracial friends, co-workers and neighbours, so only the truly integration-challenged folks out there would raise an eyebrow at this. Two — that if nothing else, Saturday was a reminder to both the Najib administration as well as Pakatan Rakyat that the people of Malaysia are in fact, the boss. All of us – not just the majority but the minorities as well. Any politician or political faction that forgets, chooses to ignore, or worse, asks that the people be "grateful" would do so at their peril. You can't want to cultivate a knowledge-based society and not deal with what naturally comes with it – a thinking populace with strong opinions to put forth. Three — that no amount of propaganda or choreographed mainstream media campaign by the government can gloss over; much less overturn the honest, heartfelt and emotionally resonant personal accounts that have been shared, re-shared and made viral for and by the more than 17 million Malaysians who now regularly access the Internet. The poignant words and images of #bersihstories have collectively bore witness, recording a moment in our history that would echo on. Indeed, the mindshare slam dunk also exposes just how out-of-touch existing government machinery is in dealing with information age realities. Some GTP NKRAs may be in need of a relook. Four — that no one is really swayed anymore by the tired, disingenuous argument that street rallies and demonstrations "tarnish" the country's image... whatever that is supposed to mean. On a personal level, how many of us really occupy our time thinking about and judging other people? Aren't we busy enough with our own matters? Did the French racial riots tarnish their country's image? Did Tahrir square condemn Egypt in the eyes of the world? And no, for the pedants out there I am not necessarily equating the two with Bersih 2.0. Besides, image should arise from substance, not artificially shaped by what façade we would like to portray to outsiders. For lessons on that, we can always look to the likes of North Korea. Five — that at the end of the day, those who shout the loudest are often the ones without the stuff to back it up. Of all the factions that were supposed to "show" on the day, only one really mattered in the end. And more importantly, it was plain for observers to see that it was the one non-partisan cause that represented the concerns of ordinary Malaysians who just wanted to exercise their constitutional right to peaceful assembly. Six — and certainly most damning of all is that whether by miscalculation or incompetence, the police's actions and especially the FRU's excessive show of force on the day had more or less ensured that the government of the day loses yet more hearts and minds, particularly that of our youth — including and especially those who only experienced their political awakening on July 9th.
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