Bersih 3.0

So much has been said all over the news and social media about the Bersih 3.0 rally.

To be honest, I've had mixed feelings about it.

On one hand, I find it quite inspiring. That Malaysians are finally getting more vocal about public issues. All this struggles about freedom of speech, free and fair elections and transparency is a sure sign that the people of Malaysia are maturing as a democracy. The people are learning how to express themselves. And the government is learning how to listen. I say learning because by the look of how things turned out, I think both sides haven't got it quite right yet.

I think many of the marchers were quite sincere and single minded in their intentions. They just wanted to support a worthy cause for their country; clean and fair election. We all want to know our vote counts. It's the fundamental of democracy. Them wearing yellow shirts and making a march was their way of reminding the Government of that. Win or lose in the next elections should be by pure vote count. Not shady manipulation. A noble and just cause indeed, one the government would do well to take note of.

But frankly speaking, I've never quite warmed up to Bersih, be 2.0, 3.0 or whatever versions to come. In Bersih 2.0, I had my reasons, which still stand today. See here. But this time, there are also other sentiments.

For one, it is my impression that quite a few of these marchers are simply Government haters. I see some people who went to the march simply because they see it as a move against the government. These are people whom, as far as I know, do not follow politics actively, don’t take a genuine interest in national issues, nor take a critical look at government policy or decisions. They are simply people who heard a few opinions over coffee from other people, and for the lack of having their own opinion, decided to adopt the only one they heard. And since wearing yellow T-shirts, posting yellow profile pictures, and posting that you got tear gas-ed on Saturday in the name of freedom and democracy is all rage these days, that’s what they do.

Sometimes, when I try talking objectively to these friends, they turn around and accuse me of being blinded by pro-government propaganda. They say I'm simply regurgitating what the mainstream media is talking. They tell me the only reliable source of information these days is the alternative media. But how can is it fair of your so quickly adopt an opinion without first hearing both sides of the tail? It's naive to believe that only the mainstream media has its agenda. Everyone who writes an article has their own agenda or opinion. You should read as much of the mainstream as you do the alternative media. Being alternative media doesn’t make your opinions any 'truer' that it is being main stream. Your job as a concerned citizen is to keep a critical mind, analyze the facts and judge accordingly. You shouldn’t jump on the bandwagon and criticize away just because that’s what the prevailing popular opinion is. You have a right to have an opinion. But if you are going to have an opinion, you have to responsibility to make sure it is sound well developed.

Don’t get me wrong; a lot of them who went for this rally are people I know; people with good conscience, pure intentions and very sound judgment. I find it hard to doubt their sincerity or their motives even if I can't agree with their opinions.

But I do doubt the sincerity and motive of those who organize it.

The call for freedom, transparency and fairness is something that should resonate among all parties, regardless of Opposition or Government. If there is a movement for it, then it should be above and beyond politics. That is the claim of the Bersih organizers. Yet, the past 2 rallies have been fully hijacked (or manipulated) by members of the Opposition for their own political mileage. When the organizing chairperson is seen marching for free elections but stands alongside none other than the Opposition leader, you can’t blame people for having feelings of distrust. Not when that Opposition leader only ever advocated reform when he got booted out of the ruling party and no longer had a share of the pie. Not when his own party is filled with problems of unresolved cronyism and nepotism. That the Opposition has completely dominated the Bersih rallies brings into question either the sincerity or the competency of the organizers. It’s my personal opinion, but if you want me in a yellow shirt marching around Dataran Merdeka next time, make sure there are absolutely no politicians around (from either side), or make sure they are ALL there together, handcuffed to each other, jointly advocating free elections. If one gets arrested, so does the other. If one gets tear gas, so does the other. Only then is your cause above politics.

Speaking of tear gas, a lot of people are pissed off at the police, for alleged high handedness and brutality. They say the police attacked the crowd without provocation, launching tear gas into restaurants and train stations where innocent people were just trying to leave, even when none of the original offenders who broke the barriers to Dataran Merdeka were in sight. Fingers are still flying around on who’s to blame. But on this matter, I feel sorry for the police, not the crowd.

If you went as a Bersih supporter, knowing fully well that there will be 30,000 or more people gathering in one small area in a highly charged political event, you need to realize what kind of risk you are taking. As proven last week, it only takes a few bad apples to spoil the whole basket. And when that bad apple wears the same yellow shirt that you do, please do not expect the police to be able to tell you apart. It is the job of the police to maintain order. When a crowd gets rowdy, or breaks the law, it’s their job to disperse that crowd quick and fast, in whatever ways allowed to them by the law, be it with a poster of Justin Bieber or tear gas. Just take it on the chin and accept that this is the part of the risk you took when you donned that yellow shirt. Don’t cry foul just because you feel a bit roughed up. If you can’t do that, don’t go.

The police themselves donned their uniform and committed themselves to maintaining and upholding the order of the law. Yet, it is also the duty of the police to protect the public. You can imagine how delicate a position it is for the police, when it is the people that they serve to protect who are the ones who are posing the threat. Perhaps the police did a few blunders here and there. But so did the organizers, who failed to disperse the crowd quickly after the rally was over and allowed politicians to rile up the crowd and taint the whole event.

The rest of us are watching, even if we didn’t go for the rallies. We see the mistakes of the police and the paranoia of the government. But we also see the hidden agendas and the political motives of those on the other side. For those of us who prefer a position closer to the center, the silent majority that is, these things add up. We will remember the Opposition as much for their manipulation as much as we will the Government for patronizing the people too much. Perhaps you can’t see or hear us now, since we don’t wear coloured shirts, nor organize mega rallies. But you will, the day we line up at the polling stations.

In the meantime, to the Bersih organizers, please refrain from organizing your rallies around weekends of major box office releases okay… Trying to watch The Avengers last weekend was quite a nightmare.