Let the Peaceful Marchers Walk, Stop Wasting Bullets
So, another round of massive demonstration and another round of horrible traffic jam within the city. The capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, was actually shut-down on Friday itself.
I planned to go back early on Friday after a gathering but somehow couldn’t make it and spend some good hours wasting expensive fuels, thanks to the super-efficient police force in setting up road-blocks as if a batallion Genghis Khan’s army was invading. If only the police force would do the same to catch snatch thieves, murderers or at least the mat rempits. I bet people would applause to watch FRU sending their tear-gas and spraying acid rain to mat rempits, no?
PM Najib Razak was super quiet during the massive “Bersih” demonstration – happened early Nov 2007 when his predecessor Abdullah Badawi was in office. Heck, who can forget those days when Badawi’s administration was laughed and joked at for having an Information Minister such as Zainuddin Maidin, who took offence by Al-Jazeera? But now that Najib Razak has taken office he has to face the same massive demonstration, estimated to be between 50,000 to 100,000 people who took part in various parts of the city. Unlike Badawi who wasn’t prepare for such scale of voluntary demonstrators, Najib with the help from his cousin, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, is well prepared this time around.
The rally by “Bersih” succeeded in penetrating (or rather tricked) the police and intelligence unit during Badawi’s administration but today’s (Saturday) rally was not able to deliver their memo to the palace. But this was expected because it would be a slap on the face of Najib, not to mention his administration would look really silly and stupid, if today’s demonstration was successful. In reality, the PAS has shown its strength – it could mobilize its’ “troops” without paying a single cent while Najib’s friendly “pro-ISA” was a letdown. Of course you don’t expect Najib’s UMNO party could order even 1% of its so-called 3 million members to show their muscles without giving away “allowances”, do you?
