Suggesting a possible strategy for future rallies : Loving kindness and compassion to the Police

ARCHIVES 2011

By admin-s On Jul 14, 2011

The strategy of demonising the police could backfire on the safety of participants in future rallies because we are making them (the police force) enemies. In normal human behavior, if you back someone in a corner and do not give them space and time to think over what they have done or what they are about to do then the normal human reaction is to retaliate with force since they have all the tools of oppression.

By KUO Yong Kooi

I am an activist dropped out and had not been involved in any political activist work for more than 15 years now. My last work was with Suaram in early 96 for 5 months. After that final short stint I decided to head to a monastery in Burma and then to Thailand to try out the lifestyle of a Buddhist Monk for two years in search of “the meaning of life”.

I would like to suggest some possible strategies looking at a distance from only through the news in World Wide Web and facebook from friends. Of course, the best possible suggestion is to observe it from the ground but I think after having been to many demonstrations during my student activist days, I am sure the psychology and dynamics of it does not change much as we are all humans that have the common fear, confidence, excitement and anger factors all mixed up together in a tense moment at rallies.

Twenty years ago when you call for a rally you can virtually count the heads that turned up. It was almost like knocking your head against the brick wall. Demonstrators were outnumbered by police. Bersih 1.0, 2.0 and many others recently have shown that the brick wall we have been knocking has ruptured. It is just a matter of time the wall will come tumbling down. The question is how many lives are we willing to sacrifice for this wall to tumble? I believe the strategies we adopt might be able to change the body bag counts in future rallies (inshaaalah of course). That would also depend on how vicious the UMNO regime in training up some crack forces to deal with demonstrators in the future.

The aftermath of Bersih 2.0 has clearly shown that the “Silent majority rakyat” had loss faith in the UMNO regime. If there were no intimidation from the UMNO regime, one million could have easily turned out. There are rare historical events like the collapse of the Soviet Union where the top leader hands in the white flag and the apparatus was dismantled peacefully. Pre Bersih 2.0 demonstrated that the UMNO leaders be it Najib or Muhyiddin are willing to dig deep, but I don’t think at the level of Gaddafi, but probably at the level of Hosni Mubarak or Ferdinand Marcos. As long as the rakyat is willing to provide a few helicopters for Rosmah and Najib, inshaaalah no lives lost. That is the easiest exit strategy for the top leaders.

Let’s look back a few decades ago at the defining moment in the Phillippines’ history where there was a stand off between the demonstrators and the military under the dictator Ferdinand Marcos. Lots of demonstrators gave flowers to the military and then the revolution was over shortly after that.

I think most of us would agree that the majority of our country’s police force is not educated enough to be fair referees. The next big task for the opposition and the civil society is to re-educate the police force to be fair referees. The same as Bersih’s objectives are to get the Election Commission to be fair referees, it seems like the more immediate stumbling block are the police not being fair referees.

Shabas to the Bersih 2.0 rally participants for being extremely vigilant in making the rally peaceful. I must admit it was world standard, the rakyat behaved very matured in front of “a yet to be developed country’s” police force.

As my previous experiences in rallies informed me that in a rally dynamics, rally participants have to shout the slogans to vent out the years of frustrations in their heart on the government’s wrong doing. I would agree that shouting out loud is a non-violent way to voice our opinion. After meditating for a while and contemplated on it, I think it is still seen to be overly aggressive if you are at the receiving end of things.

I recall an incident when I was working for Suaram, I was at a rally to prevent the demolision of some squatter houses. I was photographed by a special branch officer. I reacted angrily by confronting the Special Branch officer and shouted at him and insisting that he should take my photos clearer, ie right in front of him. The Officer was shocked at my action. Although it was technically classified as non-violent in modern times, the action caused the Special branch officer to retaliate in the same manner of aggression towards me.

A Buddhist perspective in non-violence is basically extending an aura of non-intimidation towards your so-called enemies, including sending an aura of kindness and compassion to them for they are beings just like us seeking safety and security. So to emphasise on that, imagine you are the police force with numbers for example 2,000 confronting a crowd of 20,000. As the crowd shouts a slogan, do you feel safe and secure as a police officer hearing the thundering slogans ramp into your ears?

In a tense stand off like that the rally participants also have their fears of death and injuries as the police have their M16, tear gas, water cannon and baton. Demonstrators would naturally shout and show fists to gain confidence to try to overcome the fear and anger factors, therefore that action itself I believe creates another round of fear on the other side of the fence for they know that they were outnumbered.

Of course in those rally days when I have not discovered meditation, I guess that is the only normal human thing that I can do and my perspective at that point is justifiable and definitely non-violent. After the meditation days, I discovered there are other ways to overcome fear without exerting an aura of intimidation to others so that the other side of the fence feel completely safe. Loving kindness meditation is one other way. I am sure other religions have it.

In future, if the Umno regime decides to ban a rally, then the real stumbling block are the police. At that standoff point, the politicians are using the police/military apparatus to dig in. The decision makers in Putrajaya have no power at all. If more than half of the police force decides not to carry out the order, then the so called order from the top has been rendered ineffective.

So I guess the next strategy is to ask all demonstrators to bring flowers “hibiscus” it’s easily available (and original, since jasmine is already known and used in the Middle East) and walk silently. Say prayers in our hearts quietly to overcome fear and anger. An atmosphere like that is less intimidating for the other side and if we do receive a round of tear gas, at least it would give the police force the benefit of the doubt that we meant no harm to them and that would hopefully backfire on their conscience. All beings have conscience.

Great idea in wearing yellow every Saturday. The rakyat can also diffuse the tension by belanja “teh tarik bersih” to our police force when opportunity arises. I would not call that corruption. I think that is crucial in diffusing further tension.

Another great world history lesson is the South African “truth and reconciliation” commission in resolving the matters involving the police and military wrong doings during the apartheid years. I think that is a great way to move forward.

Some might think that this is a crazy suggestion/idea, I think the battle has not been won yet. Creating more enemies can only create more barriers for ourselves in future battles. Makcik Anne Ooi with her flower has got the greatest impact on me as far as I am concerned.

May we all be well and happy.

KUO Yong Kooi