While I was following the whole rally via Twitter and Facebook in the comforts of my home, the daughter of Dr Mahathir is with the very people her father – and a host of like-minded others - so deeply detests.
She started her post with a simple sentence: So I went.
Marina, you have both my envy and admiration.
Having read Marina’s BERSIH 2.0 experience, I am ashamed on at least two counts: one, for not being there despite my belief in the thrust of the rally’s objective, and two, for having doubts as to whether the BERSIH was worth it.
The latter came after witnessing the torrent of propaganda masquerading as “news report” churned out by TV3 and RTM1 news much, much later in the evening.
A TV3 reporter, supposedly reporting at the scene complete with the irony of an empty street for a backdrop, even quoted “unnamed sources” – aren’t they always - warning of God-knows-what unknown threats of unspecified nature but connected with all probability with the Haram Demonstrators still lurking around somewhere.
Pure bollocks and baloney. Nothing’s changed, I thought.
On top of these were particularly venomous postings and comments from the FB circle of friends.
What the freezing hell was that all about? Why the hatred for people who were basically walking to highlight their constitutional grouse for fair elections.
I was thinking, thus, of posting something along the lines of “So, have BERSIH actually achieved anything despite the euphoria of its supposed success…” and, in my mind, its mostly in the negative.
That was before I read Marina’s post. I’ve realized thus that in many counts, BERSIH has achieved something after all.
BERSIH has shown that it is possible to rally to a Rights centric cause in a non -partisan way. The rally last Saturday is ironically a showcase of the much spoken 1Malaysia concept with its diverse composition of walkers.
I particularly liked her comments of “reformasi” chants being drowned by a bigger chant of BERSIH. Rightly so, this is one movement that no one can hijack as it belongs to the Rakyat.
Sure, as one FB friends puts its “… so what if you have 100,000..”
Numbers are just statistics. God knows the current Governments churns them out on a regular basis with the consistency of a well blended iced tall Mocha Latte with whipped cream.
Notwithstanding the almost haphazardly organized look of the rally, this was a group that truly believed in their ideals and keeping to it.
Imagine that by 5pm, everything was back to the way it was and my so many FB Friends who lamented being burdened with not being able to lepak around KL can do so with complete abandonment.
Some roads will still be jammed through, BERSIH or no BERSIH.
But, who cares, right?
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