Even activists are pressing for Ismail Sabri’s resignation

Some 49 activist groups today demanded the resignation of Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob who had gone on a racist rant against Chinese businesses, saying it was an irresponsible move on the part of the minister to play on racial sentiments.

They said the agriculture and agro-based industries minister targeted Chinese traders, who only play a minor role in the final price of goods and services, instead of explaining the ballooning of prices.

Among the 49 are All Women’s Action Society, Islamic Renaissance Front, Sisters in Islam and Suara Rakyat Malaysia.

"The minister was clearly irresponsible and playing to the racial and religious gallery on a subject of concern to all Malaysians," they said in a joint statement today.

"Condemning traders, or any other business group in the country, on the basis of racial origin and without providing any evidence whatsoever, is playing with fire and will only lead to racial misunderstanding and conflict."

They said their concern was heightened after Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak leapt to Ismail's defence and cleared the minister of wrongdoing.

"His position on it is disappointing and unacceptable. Like Ismail, we see the prime minister as pandering to his party’s political supporters; and for failing to ensure that our national interests and unity are protected, not undermined."

Ismail was criticised after he wrote in a Facebook post that Malay consumers had a role in helping Putrajaya fight profiteers by using their collective power to lower the price of goods.

"The majority of consumers are Malay, Chinese are a minority, if the Malays boycott their businesses, they will surely have no choice but to reduce their prices," he said.

After a Cabinet meeting yesterday, the Prime Minister's Department issued a statement defending Ismail, saying the minister had not targeted any specific race with his social media post.

The groups said they were worried of the possible effects of the episode especially when the goods and services tax was implemented in April, resulting in further price hikes.

"This is likely to lead to a new round of finger pointing and scapegoating. If not countered with calm and dispassionate public discussion and analysis, it will only widen the racial division in the country," they added. – February 5, 2015.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/even-activists-are-pressing-for-ismail-sabris-resignation#sthash.iLJcGBuI.dpuf

Paulsen to be charged with sedition over tweet

 

Despite international and local backlash, human rights lawyer Eric Paulsen is expected to be charged with sedition at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court tomorrow.

This follows his previous statements - posted on Twitter and which have since been deleted - against the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) last month, where he accused the department of "promoting extremism" in the Friday sermons drafted by them.

Paulsen's possible charge was confirmed by another lawyer, Latheefa Koya (left).

He was arrested and remanded by the police on Jan 12 after allegations that his tweet had been insulting Islam.

Inspector-general of police (IGP) Khalid Abu Bakar had also commented that the public should not politicise Paulsen's arrest.

Following the arrest and detention, Communications and Multimedia Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek proposed for a debate between Paulsen and Jakim over the matter, although this was declined by the latter.

Local NGO Gerakan Hapuskan Akta Hasutan (GHAH) and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim had condemned the high-handed action, saying that such actions showed the government was paranoid.

Finding ‘dirt’ on the 25 is dirty, to say the least -Dr Azmi Sharom

By Dr Azmi Sharom -  Rakyat Times

Ah, Awang Selamat.

One can always depend on you to say the most ridiculous things.

Today, I read that this 'person' (in reality the collective editorial voice of that paragon of journalistic virtue: Utusan Malaysia) wants the 25 Eminent Malays investigated.

Their backgrounds and lifestyles should be put under the microscope, they say.

I guess this is so that the erstwhile 'newspaper' can find out any “dirt” on the 25 and then they will be able to dish it out with orgasmic glee.

In this way they can detract from the fact that respectable individuals, who are essentially conservative people who have served the nation all their working lives, and who I am sure would be happy to spend their retirement in peace with their grandchildren, have felt that this country is in such a poor state that even they have to say something about it.

It is odd that the Utusan feels no need to delve into the murky past of other retirees who have something to say.

I am thinking of course of the noisiest Malaysian retiree in the world, the indestructible and seemingly immortal Dr M.

The longest-serving PM in the country (sometimes I wonder if he is still not serving as PM) has said that Malays are so politically impoverished that they have been reduced to begging from the Chinese to maintain their political power.

Of course I am not of the same ilk as Awang Selamat, so I will not be casting any aspersions on the good doctor’s character. I don’t know him at all. So I will just look at some facts.

Sixty per cent of Parliament is Malay; 63 per cent of the Cabinet is Malay; 60 per cent of the Deputy Ministers are Malay. We have always had a Malay Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister since independence. All the states except Penang have a Malay Chief Minister.

Is this clear grip on political power due to all these Malay men and women going on bended knee to the Chinese community for their favours and blessings?

It seems extremely unlikely, but I must admit that I don’t know. But then I am not as wise and knowledgeable as the great Mahathir.

He must have some secret power to see things that ordinary folk can’t. I wish I could find out what that super power is.

But unlike Utusan and the 25, I respect the old man’s privacy and I have no wish to investigate him.



Dr Azmi Sharom, Associate Professor of Law

Ali Abd Jalil dreams of revolution and a Malaysian republic

Ali Abd Jalil wants what is happening in Iraq and Libya to happen in Malaysia as well, an Islamic revolution

Mike Tan, The Ant Daily

A Malaysia without Sultans is unthinkable for many Malaysians. For activist and Swedish asylum seeker Ali Abd Jalil however, it would be a dream come true.

Not a day passes without him posting about the topic on his Facebook wall, with a choice selection of profanity and insults directed at royalty and the government. His posts offer an insight into what Ali thinks is an ideal future for Malaysia.

A Dec 13 post, made in response to a lawyer Ahmad Shuaib Ismail, goes like this:

“Ahmad Shuaib Ismail is an Umno lawyer. He is a (*&^%$ing lapdog trained by Umno and the Sultan as a lackey… Staunch a*slicker

Yes, it’s true, more Malaysians support the Republic… we are preparing. Our main target starts in Johor. The Anarchy Regiment Group is centred there. The time will come. Now we are strategising and gaining strength. We will storm the palace and evict the Johor Sultan. All of Johor’s wealth will be given to the rakyat in a fair and equal manner.”

While Ali’s post seems a tad dramatic, it could just be a sarcastic reply to Ahmad’s post, which in all honesty is equally dramatic. Ahmad pleads for the military to be on 24-hour alert because of the threat to destroy the Malay Sultans by the Malaysian republic movement led by “activist Ali Abd Jalil, ‘ketum’-using staunch Pakatan Rakyat supporter, Dapigs chinpeng and deviants in Sweden”.

He then asks people not to forget the Lahat Datu incident and the overthrow Nepalese monarchy by “opposition activists overseas”.

Ali is no stranger to sarcasm, and doesn’t seem to mind pulling a practical joke on his detractors. A joke post he put up on Dec 12 stating that he was picked up by Interpol and would be deported to Malaysia was taken seriously and reported upon by several media outlets.

His detractors wasted no time in celebrating his ‘capture’ only to be taunted by Ali in his following post.

Ali’s other posts exhort readers to overthrow Umno and the Malay Sultans, and repeatedly announce the impending revolution of the Malaysian republic.

While some observers may compare Ali’s fledgling movement with the more successful Arab Spring movements, it would be wise to realise that the countries that experienced a regime change as a result of Arab Spring protests were already republics, albeit ruled with dictators.

More importantly, the Arab Spring managed to instigate change through protests. Ali, however, is more old-school, he advocates revolution by ‘overthrowing the monarchy and government’, a traditional anarchist cry.

That comes as no surprise, because Ali is a self-professed anarchist.

An anarchist, as defined by Dictionary.com, is a person who seeks to overturn by violence all constituted forms and institutions of society and government, with no purpose of establishing any other system of order in the place of that destroyed.

Modern anarchism developed with the French Revolution, which saw the abolition of the French monarchy, and the resulting reign of terror. Anarchism was a popular school of thought in Europe during the 19th century as a result of discontentment against European monarchies.

Even today, anarchist groups and organisations are alive and kicking in Europe, although their philosophy has undergone some changes. It is no wonder then that Ali Abd Jalil should have made his way there, his own ‘haj’ if you will, to the heart of anarchism.

Yet, the question remains, will Ali be able to turn his dream into reality? Can he really overthrow the monarchy and turn Malaysia into a republic?

Perhaps we should examine the last two countries that did away with their royalty – Russia and China.

In both countries, the revolutions were led by exiles – Russia had Valdimir Lenin, and China had Sun Yat Sen.

The monarchies in both countries had a bloody end, although the last emperor of China lived out his life as a commoner in Communist China, long after Sun Yat Sen’s successors lost to the communists led by Chairman Mao.

Both new movements highlighted the injustice perpetrated by the monarchy, and also promised – like Ali – a Utopia where justice and fairness would rule and the citizens would reign supreme.

Yet, nearly a century later, both Russia and China have yet to fulfil those promises, and instead have become countries known for totalitarian rule, corruption and have replaced their tsars and emperors for billionaire oligarchs and political princleings. A large percentage of their citizens still suffer in poverty, much as their forefathers did a hundred years before.

Can Ali prove that his grand revolution for a Malaysian republic is any different? Or is he just wrapped up with romantic ideals of a bygone era and advocating ideas that have been proven as failures?

Malaysia definitely needs a lot of improvement, that’s for sure.

But is Ali’s way the ‘right’ way to go?

No justice for my son in Malaysia, says activist Ali’s father

As devastated as Abd Jalil Abd Rahman is by his activist son Ali’s decision to flee Malaysia and seek political asylum in Sweden, the man knows that either he let the 29-year-old go, or risk the boy's life by urging him to stay in the country.

"For me, what is more important is his safety, so I don't mind so much where Ali is as long as he is safe," Jalil told The Malaysian Insider.

So he swallowed the bitter news and supported his son's decision to leave the country, although saddened by the separation.

Ali, who faces three charges for allegedly insulting the Johor and Selangor royalty, announced on Saturday that he had fled to Sweden after being treated "like rubbish" by the government and sultan.

The activist had previously claimed to have received death threats and was even beaten while in police custody. However, no action was taken despite the police report he lodged.

Jalil said Ali's case was unique as he was up against the royal institution, whose powers in the country have no bounds.

"Ali's case is different compared with Adam Adli or Safwan Anang because they were opposing the government and the institutions," he said, referring to the two activists who were recently sentenced to prison under the Sedition Act 1948.

"But Ali is protesting against the royal institution, and everyone understands this issue is sensitive and involves Malay sentiments."

Although Ali said he was "safe in Sweden", his father is still gripped by the fear that the rulers may take matters into their own hands.

"We know and have heard of rulers ignoring and even breaking the law," said Jalil.

"We also know the country's justice and security system does not guarantee the rakyat's safety."

From Sweden, Ali continues to rail against the rulers and the government in his Facebook posts, which have received hundreds of "likes" and comments.

But Jalil defended his son's harsh criticism of the royalty, saying it stemmed from Ali's personal experiences and exposure to the injustice inherent in the system.

"Ali loves challenges; after he finished his SPM, he looked for a job straightaway on his own initiative, unlike his peers.

"He worked at a restaurant in an airport and a hotel, and observed the actions of those we call 'the elite'," said Jalil.

He said Ali witnessed the injustices committed in the country, especially those involving the royal institution.

"While working at a luxury hotel in Kuala Lumpur, he saw the ugly actions of these elites, these chiefs of states and palace people.

"When he saw things that should not be happening, he may have begun questioning the actions of those known as the heads of religion," said the pensioner.

The retired civil servant did not rule out the possibility that Ali's vocal criticism was also born out of dissatisfaction over how his twin brother, Ahmad Abd Jalil, had been treated by the state.

Last year, Ahmad was fined RM20,000 by the Johor Baru Sessions Court after he was found guilty of posting remarks insulting the Johor Sultan through his Facebook in 2012.

"Throughout the court proceedings, we saw that justice was not upheld.

"So if Ali goes to trial, it is impossible that the courts will treat him fairly," said Jalil, adding that his son was pursuing his doctoral studies at Universiti Sains Malaysia.

When asked if he hoped Ali would return to Malaysia, Jalil said his family would always support Ali's decision and advise him to live his life to the fullest.

"This world is temporary. If we are to die, we need not die in our homes.

"For instance, the Prophet Muhammad himself did not pass away at his place of birth. So I prefer that Ali stay there and enjoy this temporary world."

But Jalil advised his son to never neglect his duties as a Muslim and to always pray to Allah.

"If he believes it is better to stay in Malaysia, then he should return. But if he feels happier and safer there, then he should stay there."

Ali's sister, Asiah Abd Jalil, told The Malaysian Insider that her younger brother had been taught to think critically at a young age.

Ali was first detained on September 8 and was taken into police custody in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Johor.

On September 23, he was released after posting bail of RM8,000 at the Shah Alam court complex.

His freedom was short-lived as he was re-arrested and taken to Johor, reportedly because other police reports had been lodged against him there.

Amnesty International has adopted Ali as a Prisoner of Conscience, saying it is part of a push to ensure he does not suffer further punishment or selective persecution.

News portal Rakyat Times, which is run by activist and lawyer Haris Ibrahim, reported that Ali left Malaysia on October 18 for Bangkok and later flew to Stockholm on October 21.

At Stockholm, Ali went to Amnesty International Sweden where he was advised on the procedure for applying for asylum. He was taken to the asylum centre before being moved to another town, Morsta.

Rakyat Times also reported that Ali had already been given a work permit and could begin work immediately. – October 29, 2014.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/no-justice-for-my-son-in-malaysia-says-activist-alis-father#sthash.gIC0qMUR.dpuf

'Irene will want us to carry on'

In loving memory of Irene Fernandez

The Sun Daily
by Annie Freeda Cruez

SHE was a human rights activist till she breathed her last at 10.58am today.

That is none other than Tenaganita director Irene Fernandez (pix), 68, who died after complications due to a heart failure.

She was admitted to the Serdang hospital last Tuesday, after complaining of breathing difficulties, while on her way to attend the Bersih People's Tribunal on the 13th General Election.

Having interviewed her on several occasions, her demise is a loss as she has been known for her outstanding and courageous work to stop violence against women and abuse of migrant and poor workers.

She is never afraid to be in the forefront to fight her cause and this was clearly seen when she continued working, even when a conviction and year's prison sentence hung over her head on a charge of "maliciously publishing false news."

Born in 1946, Irene has three children and several foster children. She began her career as a high school teacher and was involved with the Young Christian Workers Movement (YCWM), based in Brussels, and in 1970 gave up her teaching career to become a full-time organiser for young workers.

She became national president of the Malaysian YCWM in 1972-75 and was a member of the international committee from 1973-75.

During that time, she organised the first textile workers union and began programmes to create trade unions in the free trade zones. She also focused on the development of women leaders in the labour movement.

In 1976, she joined the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) and worked on consumer education, launching the consumer clubs for secondary school children to teach them about basic needs, safety and protection of the environment.

She also began a consumer programme for rural women, linked to a breast-feeding campaign and the Nestlé boycott.

In 1986, she led campaigns to stop violence against women. Various women's groups mushroomed as a result of these campaigns. One was the All Women's Action Society, of which Fernandez was president for five years.

It is now one of the strongest women's advocacy groups in Malaysia.

The Domestic Violence Act, Sexual Harassment Code and changes to the laws related to rape are all a result of its work.

That same year, she was the founder member of Asia Pacific Women Law and Development (APWLD). This regional organisation was designed to bring together women lawyers and activists to look at women's law across the Far East. She was director for more than 10 years.

Irene's campaigns for the rights of foreign workers, up to three million of whom are in Malaysia, began after she founded Tenaganita in 1991.

The organisation also runs a half-way house for prostitutes with HIV, and a number of other programmes relating to migrant and poor workers' health, education, awareness and human rights.

It also works with organisations in neighbouring countries to provide health, legal and pre-departure information for workers.

In 2005 Tenaganita drew attention to controversial plans by the Malaysian government to deport more than a million foreign migrants.

In 1995, Irene Fernandez published a report on the living conditions of the migrant workers entitled "Abuse, Torture and Dehumanised Conditions of Migrant Workers in Detention Centres.

In March 1996, Fernandez was arrested at home and charged with "maliciously publishing false news". Her trial became the longest in Malaysian history and in 2003 she was finally found guilty and sentenced to a year in prison, having by then appeared in court more than 300 times.

By 2005, she was still on bail pending an appeal.

Finally, in 2008, after 13 years of battle in court, she was acquitted.

Despite all this, Irene never stopped doing what she wanted to do and I am sure she found lots of satisfaction and happiness in her work and success.

Activist Irene Fernandez dies

She was hospitalised five days ago after suffering from heart complication.
FULL REPORT

PETALING JAYA: PKR’s former vice president and famous activist Irene Fernandez passed away at 10.58am this morning due to heart failure.

Fernandez was a PKR vice-president during the initial years of the party’s foundation.

The 67-year-old social activist was also Tenaganita’s co-founder and director. Tenaganita is an NGO that champions migrant worker rights.

Five days ago, Fernandez who lived in Seremban, was rushed to Serdang Hospital after suffering from heart complication.

PKR vice-president Tian Chua was among the first to confirm the news.

“Sad news: rights activist Irene Fernandez passed away in Serdang Hospital a while ago. We have lost a dear comrade & old friend,” he tweeted.

A message posted in Tenaganita’s Facebook stated: “Irene’s beautiful, courageous & loving heart rested peacefully at 10.58am this morning, 31st March 2014.”

Irene’s sister, Josie told FMT that Irene’s body would be taken back to her home in Seremban today.

“And then on Thursday, we will be bringing her to her other residence at 29, Jalan SS15/5E (in Subang) and then to a church from there,” said Josie who is also an activist.

The service is to be held in Church of Divine Mercy, Shah Alam at 3 pm on Thursday.

“Her body would be cremated as per her wishes after the church service and the ashes would be buried next to our parents’ grave in Sungai Petani,” Josie added.

Josie said Irene, who leaves behind a son and two daughters, would be remembered as a “good mother, great daughter, great sister and an activist par excellence”.

A great daughter of Malaysia

Meanwhile tributes started pouring in for Irene.

Suhakam commissioner James Nayagam said Irene was a human rights advocate to the word and was the voice for human trafficking victims.

“She never looked for rewards and even risked her life to ensure victims received the justice and attention they needed. I hope the younger generation will follow in her footsteps,” he said

Lawyer and former Bersih chairman S Ambiga expressed her condolences on Twitter by saying: “Irene Fernandez. Always there for the marginalised, you have fought the good fight with passion and courage. Rest now my friend. RIP”

Bersih 2.0 also mourned the passing of Irene Fernandez, saying that it was saddened by the passing of “one of Malaysia’s foremost human rights activists and a great daughter of Malaysia”.

“Irene had a formidable record in activism that spanned across decades and a whole range of difficult, non-mainstream issues related to the poor and marginalised – from people living with HIV to plantation, domestic, sex and migrant workers. Her indefatigable lifelong work for the people earned her the prestigious Right Livelihood Award in 2005.

But Irene never rested on her laurels and continued to give her invaluable contributions to many struggles, including for free and fair elections,” said Bersih 2.0 in a statement.

A Vaithilingam, former president of MCCBCHST said there was “no one else who could be so brave as her in whatever task she set on”.

“This brave lady never surrendered. She kept on caring for the downtrodden, even during her recent difficult times of ill health. Her family can be proud of she choosing the right path in life of selfless service,” he said.

Marina Mahathir, daughter of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, has launched a stinging attack on UMNO leaders

Marina Mahathir, daughter of former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, has launched a stinging attack on UMNO leaders who accused participants of the Bersih 3.0 rally last month of wanting to topple the government through street protests.

“What is this obsession with us not being Egypt anyway? If we’re not, then why worry? Besides, who needs to worry about the Arab Spring unless they identify themselves with Ben Ali, Mubarak, Gadaffi and Assad?” she wrote in a blog posting, referring to the Arab dictators.

UMNO leaders, including her father, had earlier said that Bersih protesters were imitating the people’s uprising in the Middle East, collectively known as the ‘Arab Spring’, and wanted to replace the current government through street protests and foreign interference.

Marina (pic), who also joined the Bersih 3.0 rally on April 28, defended the right to peaceful assembly and said there was nothing wrong when the Egyptian people assembled at Tahrir Square to press for democratic reforms.

“They want a greater say in the policies of the government. They want an end to corruption. They want proper elections with many candidates to choose from, not just those handpicked by the rulers. They want an end to military interference in politics,” she wrote.

“Aren’t these reasonable? But our government will not acknowledge that these demands are quite normal. Well maybe they’re not in an undemocratic country.”

Marina also took to task those who argued that Malaysians need not protest as their country was “not Egypt.

“If Malaysia is not Egypt and our leaders are not Mubarak, then why are Malaysians who went to Bersih treated like Egyptian protestors?” she asked.

“If anyone had gone down to Dataran on the Sunday after Bersih 3.0, apart from the barbed wire, everything was back to normal… Made our point, now let’s go eat. This is why we are not Egypt. In this we agree with our government. We are NOT Egypt. But then why respond in such Mubarak-like fashion?”

On the recent declaration by the National Fatwa Council that demonstrating against the government was forbidden in Islam, Marina reminded of a similar ruling made by Egypt’s Al-Azhar University Fatwa Committee in the days leading to Mubarak’s resignation on February 11, 2011.

“So getting the NFC ( hmmm…dubious initials…) to issue such a fatwa seems very Mubarak-like, doesn’t it?” she quipped. Harakahdaily.

Gov't feels threatened, says Marina

(Malaysiakini) The Malaysian government feels threatened, is in a total state of panic and cannot think clearly, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's eldest daughter Marina Mahathir says.

“They do feel threatened because they underestimated Bersih in 2007 and then in the 2008 general election, they lost a lot of seats in Parliament and the state assemblies.

"And since then, they have been in a state of total panic and they can't think clearly at all. Now they are obsessed about how to win them back.

“You can win back people just by being nice. You can't win back people by being nasty. You can't say that those people who marched are hooligans. Maybe there was a handful, not all of them.

"The majority of them were professionals. The group was so diverse and it was really one Malaysia - young, rich, poor of every race, creed and every religion,” she told Malaysiakini in an exclusive interview.

On July 9, Marina (right) took part in the Bersih 2.0 protest, with her daughter and friends.

They started from near Jalan Pudu (Berjaya Times Square) and walked along Jalan Hang Jebat (formerly Davidson Road) in front of Stadium Negara towards the Olympics Council of Malaysia building, where she encountered other friends.

She added that the people who marched were proud of the Bersih 2.0 movement. “I may not agree with your cause but you did a really good thing. We all became One Malaysia.

“Now, they are labelling us all sorts of names and let me tell you that they have lost all these votes. They may think they have lost them anyway, but let me tell you that there were a lot of people sitting on the fence and they have definitely gone to the other side. I see this clearly in the social media, especially email, on Twitter and in the blogs.”

Marina explained that the July 9 march had dented the image of the government and would obviously affect the ruling party “from the all the stupid statements that they are making and have been made by the government officials”.

She added: “Imagine saying that the police fired into the Tung Shin Hospital to protect the patients. It does not make sense. Again, they cannot think clearly and it is having an effect on the government.

“The prime minister came to give a briefing to 6,000 people the following day after July 9. If you are constantly surrounded by people who are telling you that you are wonderful and you are right, you are not going to get a true picture of what happened. You have to go and talk to people with different, not mutual views.

“If they refuse to listen to the people, the government leaders are going to be cocooned in complacency. And they are going to react in absolutely the wrong way.”

Marina ticks off gov't in its handling of Bersih

(Malaysiakini) Marina Mahathir, eldest daughter of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, is convinced that the government had handled last Saturday's Bersih 2.0 rally “extremely badly”.

“Many leaders, both in the public and private sectors, are saying the government could have avoided the Bersih 2.0 (fallout) by not making such a big issue out of it,” Marina told Malaysiakini in an exclusive interview.

“The government could have simply dealt with it in a different way as the issue at hand is not that controversial. If you ask anyone, 'do you want free and fair elections?', the logical answer is 'yes' - no matter what side you are on.

“The government should have said, 'we are for it too'.”

According to Marina, the government was in such an aggressive defensive mode over the Bersih movement that it made many Malaysians, including those who sat on the fence, angry.

On July 9, Marina participated in the Bersih 2.0 protest with her daughter and friends.

They started from near Jalan Pudu (Berjaya Times Square) and walked along Jalan Hang Jebat (formerly Davidson Road) in front of Stadium Negara towards the Olympics Council of Malaysia building where she encountered other friends.

“Apparently at one point, the cops had chased (the protesters) even though there was no reason to catch them and hauled them off.

“But later, we could sit and wait by the curb without anyone disturbing us. Jalan Hang Jebat and the small road that led up to Stadium Merdeka stayed pretty quiet.”

Did she tell her dad?

Marina also ticked off Prime Minister Najib Razak for his personal attack against Bersih leader Ambiga Sreenevasan.

“People thought 'how could you stoop so low',” she continued.

“And when they started arresting people wearing yellow T-shirts and put (Sungai Siput MP) Dr (D) Jeyakumar in jail - he is such a good person and has done a lot of good service - people got more angry. It is not fair to accuse him of being a communist.

“I think a lot of ordinary people decided that this is it. This is it and this is not fair, and we are going to out there and participate in the Bersih 2.0 rally.

“There are so many accounts of the aunty types who would not ever do anything or something radical in their life or never march, and these people decided to go, even those from outside Kuala Lumpur,” added Marina, who said she was at the Bersih rally for more than three hours.

When asked if she had talked to her father about the Bersih 2.0 campaign for electoral reforms, she categorically said, “No”.

Why?

“Because we are both extremely busy people and I cannot even keep up with him. On July 9, he was actually on a flight outside the country,” Marina explained.

“So I didn't tell him that I was marching. (But) we discuss all these things. He has his views, and we have respect for each other's views and that's it.”

My Bersih 2.0 Experience

So I went.

I have to say that the night before I had many many misgivings, especially after reading about the army doing exercises with the FRU. Could the government seriously be contemplating shooting their own people? Who knows? My stomach was in knots thinking about the many young people I knew who were intent on going, including my daughter. Would I be able to forgive myself if something happened to them?

After seeking advice from various friends, I finally decided that I could not stay safely at home while my daughter, friends and colleagues faced possible danger. I had to walk with them. Besides even if I stayed home, I would have spent all my time worrying. So I had to go.

 

A friend who lived in the city offered to be my protector and together we devised a plan on what to do. Hubby was supportive and gave some advice on how to stay safe. My neighbours also wanted to come along. So fairly earlyish, my friend drove over to get me with no problem and we headed back into the city. Despite the roadblocks in some areas, we encountered no problems. In fact driving into KL was so pleasant because the roads were so clear. The police directed traffic where they had to and were generally cooperative ( except for one we saw arguing with a man trying to get into his own condo). We got to a roadblock in the KLCC area and my friend explained that he lived in the area and they let us through, four people in a car dressed as if we were going hiking!

From my friend’s apartment block, we walked to Times Square and parked ourselves at the Starbucks for a coffee while we waited. A cursory look around the outlet and mall revealed that many people were doing the same thing. Meanwhile a whole van of police was stationed outside the mall but after a while they all went off. 

 

We kept in touch with various friends around the city to find out where they were and what the situation was. At about 12.30 we started to walk up Jalan Hang Tuah towards the stadium area. We were not in big groups, just people out on a weekend stroll. We thought we would encounter police in front of the big police headquarters in front of Pudu Jail but there was nothing. When we got to the corner of Jalan Hang Jebat, we saw some police motorcycles and only a couple of cops. Lots of people were just sitting on the curbside under the eye of the cops. It was pretty clear what all these people were there for.

 We walked along Jalan Hang Jebat in front of Stadium Negara towards the OCM and found many other friends waiting there. Apparently at one point the cops had given chase even though there was no reason to and caught some people and hauled them off. But from then on we could sit and wait by the curb without anyone disturbing us. 

 

 Jalan Hang Jebat and the small road that led up to Stadium Merdeka stayed pretty quiet. Members of the Bar Council (who had to suffer wearing their suits in the heat just so that we could spot them easily) walked around observing what was happening. At one point one woman in a suit sat herself at the intersection to take notes.

One lone woman lawyer at her station, Jln Hang Jebat

 We all debated whether to stay there or move down to Petaling Street but we were afraid that we wouldn’t be let back up again. Then it started to rain. My friend and I sought shelter under some hoarding along with young people. Just then I got a message that we were to go to KL Sentral. After confirming this with a friend at Sentral, my friends and I started to walk down Hang Jebat just as a large group of people started walking up. The rain was pouring at that point and I didn’t know quite what to do, whether to tell people they should turn round or not.

Seeking shelter for a while under a shop five-foot way, I talked to various other friends and eventually decided to head back to the stadium area where I found my daughter and lots of other friends there. The main group earlier had gone up to Stadium Merdeka, did some chanting in front of the FRU and then headed down again. But many people hung about just to observe everything and soak in the atmosphere. One group of young people had yellow ribbons on sticks and started a little dance. Others were buying ice cream from a bicycle vendor who came by. There was a real carnival atmosphere.

 

 Here's a video of the rally yesterday taken by my daughter. As you can see, it was peaceful. And every time some people started chanting 'reformasi', someone else would start a louder chant of 'Bersih'.

I have to say that I never felt safer than when I was in the crowd. People recognized me and said hello. Some wanted to take photos. It didn’t feel any different from any other Saturday out. And to be perfectly fair, the cops and FRU in my area showed admirable restraint. They saw that people were not doing anything more than chanting and nobody was harming anyone so they just stood there and left everyone to do their thing. We came across a whole FRU unit blocking a lane next to the Chinese temple at the roundabout at the bottom of Jalan Maharajalela, waved at them and they waved. Cool cops!

 Of course not everyone had the same experience. Here’s an account from a colleague who was in a different street:

 Unfortunately my experience wasn't so benign. I was part of the marchers (along with A and others) who were effectively kettled by the police in Jalan Pudu. FRU units to the front and back of us prevented us from leaving, and we were trapped by the walls of a construction site opposite Tung Shin Hospital after the FRUs pushed us back. It was probably the worst of the hotspots because of that: when the police started firing round after round of tear gas at us, we had nowhere to run to. I think they were determined to make an example out of us, because they bloody well tear-gassed and sprayed us with water cannons when they had no reason to do so.

We were all tear-gassed at least three, four times. An NGO staffer was hit by a canister. V told me that she saw people jumping off the second floor of the Puduraya bus terminal because the police had released tear gas too close to the terminal and the wind carried the fumes into the enclosed building. When the marchers ran for shelter in Tung Shin Hospital, the police fired tear gas and water cannons INTO the hospital grounds. Later the police lured us into re-assembling on the road on the pretext of negotiating a peaceful dispersal. They arrested the MP (Sivarasa) who was doing the negotiating, then -- after ordering us to sit down so (as we realised later) we would be sitting ducks -- they fired more tear gas and water cannons at us. A, myself and our companions eventually managed to find a way out from the trap via the Santo Antonius church and (irony of ironies) the car park of the Hang Tuah police station (near the monorail station). There were so many very brave people yesterday.

I now know that smearing toothpaste under the eyes to reduce irritation caused by tear gas actually works (thanks, A)! I'm still itchy and short of breath from all that tear gas, which is a bit annoying. But really, mostly what I remember of the rally was how moving it was: the solidarity among the protesters, how people looked out for one another. Whenever I was tear-gassed there was a stranger running along at my side and offering me and my friends salt to counteract the effects. When the police sprayed chemical-laced water cannons into the crowd and the people affected cried out for water to wash the stuff away, others turned and ran back toward the cannons with bottles of water to help. People helped others climb up a hill towards the hospital to escape (some guy helped me up the steep slope). Someone always stepped up to make sure that a panicked run doesn't turn into a stampede, including an elderly woman who took it upon herself to guide the marchers to safety. She's a first-time marcher to boot! Actually there were lots of first-time marchers, and more young middle-class urbanites than I've ever seen at any other rallies including the 2007 Bersih rally. At one point people started picking up the tear gas canisters and throwing them back at the police, or kicking the canisters safely away from the marchers and bystanders. I heard via the #bersihstories Twitter hashtag when the police fired tear gas into Tung Shin, there were people who grabbed the canisters and wrapped them in their own towels, then threw the canisters into the drain so there wouldn't be so much fumes.

And another one, about people’s goodness:

My group has a lovely little story to tell as well, of how we escaped from the Tung Shin hospital area after one of the tear gas attacks.  We took a little alley uphill between the shophouses, and there was a block of flats there.  One of the residents told us to go through the building to get out through the back!  We climbed upstairs and then along the opposite corridor a woman shouted and pointed, "That way, go that way, there is an exit out the back!" and we scuttled along our corridor, down the back stairs and found ourselves safe outside on Changkat Tung Shin or something like that. 

Rakyat all contributing in their own ways! 

There are many stories and photos, both good and bad, of the whole event. But to me what was most important was that Malaysians proved two things: one, they can assemble together on a common cause peacefully and two, therefore showed that they are a mature people.  The fact is that there were all kinds of people there, young and old, all races and religions and all classes and creeds. I bumped into many young people, the children of my friends, who had come to see what it was all about and decide for themselves what to think about the issue.

Do these people look like hooligans to you?

 Whatever one thinks about the issue that Bersih is espousing, we should all be proud of our fellow Malaysians who did not, despite dire predictions by some, behave like hooligans and destroy property and hurt one another. There were people hurt and one death but people who had participated in the rally did not cause them. The restaurants and shops around the area were doing roaring business as people got thirsty and hungry.

There are also some people claiming that the world now has a bad impression of Malaysia because the foreign media (and the local media for that matter) reported only about the teargassing and water-cannoning. I think people are confusing the government with the people. Yes, the world now has a bad impression of the Malaysian government because it has handled this whole issue so badly. They don’t have the same impression of the Malaysians who stood up for their rights and their cause.

This is what gives a good impression: protestors and police shaking hands before dispersing at 4pm.

And by the way, I can’t believe some of the mean things being said about the man who died after being teargassed! My goodness, every time I read totally uncompassionate things like that, I know that I’m on the right side.

For more accounts by people who were there, read this.

Khalid, Chegu Bard tetap sertai Bersih esok

Kedua-duanya memberi alasan tidak mendapat dokumen daripada pihak polis yang melarang mereka memasuki Kuala Lumpur esok.

PETALING JAYA: Dua pemimpin pembangkang – Khalid Samad dari PAS dan Badrul Hisham Shaharin dari PKR – mengesahkan akan menyertai perhimpunan Bersih di Kuala Lumpur esok.

Khalid adalah Ahli Parlimen Shah Alam manakala Badrul Hisham atau CheguBard adalah Ahli Majlis Tertinggi (MT) PKR.

Kedua-duanya memberi alasan tidak mendapat dokumen daripada pihak polis yang melarang mereka memasuki Kuala Lumpur esok.

“Saya tidak faham mengapa larangan tersebut dikeluarkan walhal pihak penganjur berkali-kali memberi jaminan bahawa himpunan itu akan berlangsung secara aman.

“Saya pun tak faham di mana logiknya, seperti yang diulang berkali-kali, Bersih ini bukan bertujuan mahu mencetuskan huru-hara tetapi kita ni perhimpunan aman, jadi jangan samakan Bersih dengan Israel.”

“Bersih ni bukan pertubuhan haram, ia satu program anjuran 62 buah badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) yang sah yang berdaftar. Ia merupakan program dan bukan pertubuhan, lalu saya tak faham apa alasan dan hujah pihak polis dalam perkara ini,” katanya hari ini.

Semalam, polis berjaya mendapatkan perintah mahkamah untuk menghalang 91 individu merangkumi pemimpin NGO, Pakatan Rakyat, Pemuda Umno dan Perkasa, daripada memasuki Kuala Lumpur esok.

Pemangku Ketua Polis Kuala Lumpur Datuk Amar Singh Ishar Singh berkata, pelanggaran perintah berkenaan merupakan satu kesalahan di bawah Seksyen 188 Kanun Keseksaan.

Manakala Badrul Hisham menegaskan beliau masih tidak menerima apa-apa dokumen rasmi daripada polis dan tetap akan menghadiri himpunan esok.

“Dokumen rasmi menghalang beliau dan 90 individu lagi daripada memasuki kawasan Kuala Lumpur esok sepatutnya dikeluarkan lebih awal bagi membolehkannya memberikan maklum balas.

“Secara undang-undang teknikalnya, saya tak pasti saya dapat ke tidak, kalau ada perintah mahkamah dia (polis) harus hantar kepada saya, perintah mahkamah tak boleh beritahu melalui media, saya pun sibuk dan saya tak tahu apa yang dilaporkan oleh media,” katanya.

Dr M’s daughter slams crackdown

Marina Mahathir says the action taken by the authorities was similar to that used by third-world dictators.

PETALING JAYA: Marina Mahathir, the daughter of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad – who had little tolerance for dissenting voices – criticised the clampdown on Bersih 2.0 supporters.

Speaking on behalf of Sisters In Islam, one of the 62 NGOs that form the Bersih coalition, she said the action taken by the authorities was similar to that used by third-world dictators.

“Only those in fear would resort to such things… we are behaving like a third world country or less,” she told a packed press conference here, flanked by several representatives from Bersih.

More than 150 people were detained, mostly for wearing yellow T- shirts with the word “Bersih” in connection with the polls watchdog’s planned rally on July 9.

Opposition leaders, some of whom had been hauled up for questioning for backing Bersih’s call for a rally to demand electoral reforms, said the mass arrests was one of the harshest crackdowns in the country’s political history.

Marina said the government’s crackdown was not reflective of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s efforts to transform Malaysia into a developed country.

“We are a developing country, we should behave like one and rise above (all this) and have some faith in our people,” she said.

Marina also condemned the personal attacks on Bersih chairperson S Ambiga, whom she praised for having an excellent track record in fighting for human rights.

“The personal attacks are unwarranted. They should use better arguments to resolve the issue and not resort to personal attacks,” she said.

Najib had called Ambiga, the former Bar Council president, a stooge of Pakatan Rakyat.

Marina’s stand on this issue ran contrary to her father’s position. The latter had echoed Najib’s accusation that the planned rally was not to demand electoral reforms but to create another “political tsunami” to wrest power.

At the press conference today, Bersih representatives denied that the rally had any hidden political agendas and reiterated that it would be peaceful.

They also called on the authorities to find an amicable solution without calling off the rally.

Marina Mahathir: Attacks on Ambiga in bad taste