Not sure whether this will be my last round … but there were a few good ones that I couldn’t resist posting up.
A good personal account with 8 learning points thrown in.
“It was awesome to walk along with fellow Malaysians to the Istana. I had conversations with people I would not usually have the opportunity to speak to. It is somewhat clichéd to talk in terms of the ‘Malay, Chinese, Indian’ categories, but during this march, I had friendly encounters with people from across these identity categories.
I walked a little with a Chinese friend. When we got separated, a helpful Malay man advised me that my ‘husband’ was ‘over there’. We passed two Unit Amal Malaysia personnel grappling with a map, attempting to assist a befuddled tourist with directions. People in the crowd joked that they were now police tourists. I walked for a while with an Indian lawyer from the Bar Council, and then with a young Malay man who took shelter under my over-sized umbrella. It was a crowd of friendly strangers. I understood then, the meaning of ‘solidarity’.”
Subversive “cleaning” idea? That’s a new twist. I suppose a “both-and” approach would be good. One for the more activist, the other for the more quetist?
sharing my personal experience on the bersih gathering/march and what i have learned…
Another personal experience … with 26 extra reflection points.
BERSIH’s gathering, what’s next?
A short post from the guy who still managed to send me best wishes!
Pot callling the kettle black: Khairy Jamaluddin says Bersih protesters acting like ‘beruks’
Watching the youtube video sent goosebumps … and makes one contrast what was shown there with what happened on Saturday.
BERSIH Rally: A Waste of Our Taxes
Another perspective with the infamous RTM Montage mentioned again:
“That bad video montage towards the end finally made me lose any faith whatsoever in this government’s ability to manage my money. They can’t even make a mildly convincing attempt to produce propaganda — and what’s worse, they made the propaganda so transparent by including it in a news report.
Demonstrations always end in violence? As someone so wisely pointed out on Youtube, it’s a bit shocking that nobody got hurt at all those famous rallies opposing the Malayan Union. “
Tony Pua forgot to bring his camera, many didn’t. 🙂 But Tony didn’t forget some good sense after the event:
“The BERSIH march and rally was really a success but I would hesitate to repeat the feat too soon. Firstly, the King must be given sufficient time to act and respond. Secondly, I can assure you that the UMNO kingpins must be seething at this point of time and will certainly take all necessary actions to prevent another such meet. We can do more good work for the country out of jail, than in it. Furthermore, we should demonstrate that unlike UMNO and Barisan Nasional, we do not call for blood to be shed to prove our manhood. And thirdly, disrupting traffic and businesses in the city centre once may be tolerable and supported by all, but do that too frequently, these same supporters will turn against you – defeating the ultimate objectives of the rally. We want to win friends, not lose them.”
I am on the edge of my seat wondering what will happen next. Our govt seems to be burying its head in the sand …