Bersih 2.0: Through the Tear-gassed Eyes of the Pink Fat Guy
By Hafidz Baharom, Loyarburok
Yes, people. We honestly did it. 50,000 people thronged the streets of KL from morning till evening demanding electoral reforms.
Or, if you wish to believe the police, 6,000 people. But then, if you were to believe the police, you’d also have noticed three police cars that were supposed ‘damaged’ by Bersih supporters along Jalan Pudu.
I will proudly state that I do not believe the police, nor any person in any government linked media outlet that talks of Bersih 2.0, be it the dastardly Utusan or even the New Straits Times. And I say it proudly and with surety for a very simple reason.
I was there. At Dataran Merdeka first behind the FRU lines. At Central Market’s entrance afterwards. On Petaling Street after that and finally, joined up with the rally at Maybank, Jalan Pudu, Tong Shin Hospital and then onward to Stadium Merdeka which I arrived close to 4 p.m.
So let’s start with my trip into KL, which began at 11 a.m. I managed to get to the Kelana Jaya LRT and board it by 11:22 a.m, as per my status. I then started tweeting feverishly after that, arriving at a rather quiet Pasar Seni. Throughout the LRT trip, people were quiet. In fact, I was joined on board the LRT with an old uncle in a white, buttoned up collared t-shirt, who looked at me, smiled and nodded.
As I disembarked at Pasar Seni, police presence was already high. I headed to the Annexe Nasi Kandar to be greeted by a mamak full of police officers eating their lunch before the entire event. It was also here that I met a member of the Bar Council who told me that there were rumours that the trains were already shut down, and that there was already some violence at the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station.
After buying a huge bottle of water which I thought would last the entire day, I just stepped out and sat at a corner facing Dataran Merdeka. This was where I noticed the water cannons and FRU personnel parked, mentioned on my Twitter account. This was also when members of the Bar Council walked past me heading towards what I thought was the KTM Kuala Lumpur station. As I thought to join them, I saw the guard at Dayabumi looking nervous. About half a minute later I learned why.
Right opposite of where I was, across the Dayabumi Parking Lot, I heard chanting, and then started seeing people gathering. It was truly an amazing sight. While the mantras of Bersih were being yelled, there were also some anti-government slogans as well. And, of course, there were cries for ‘Reformasi’ too.
However this was when things got a bit hilarious to me. The FRU personnel were parked too far ahead from Dataran Merdeka, and actually had to tell the security guards to remove the barricade from the parking lot because they couldn’t reverse their trucks properly.
After that piece of absurd wingding comedy was over, they got out and aimed the tear gas launchers over the crowd and fired.
The problem was, and again, this is another piece of comedy, that they shot the canisters too close to themselves and the media who were in parallel with them.
