November 10, 2007
you got a long way to go.
Posted in Happenings, Malaysia, My Home, Random Ramblings, Social Responsibility According to Me at 11:37 pm by meldee
Ok ok I know I said no more political posts for the next week but sod it, this is my blog, I’ll write about my toilet habits if I want to.
And in any case, given the current political condition of this country, to be uninterested or apathetic towards politics is tantamount to being the proverbial frog under the coconut shell.
So I’ve been following most of the ongoings about the rally and did so with my ‘support group’ consisting a few close friends, among them Izuan, Kathia, Dahlia and Petra (who was there). I kept refreshing the pages every few minutes, and watched the main news with bated breath. I must say congratulations to the local media—for giving a completely skewered, lopsided story, with NTV7 even claiming that the police had successfully curbed the riot.
By the way, for the record, it was not a riot. It was a perfectly peaceful gathering until the police brought out the tear gas and water cannons. I think the Al-Jazeera reports have been the most comprehensive thus far, find a link here, on Jeff Ooi’s blog, where the journalist himself commented that it had been a peaceful gathering till then.
My heart goes out to those who so bravely marched today, and felt awful that I wasn’t there (grr). I was so antsy all day, and kept anticipating to hear the worst news. I’m so proud for all those who were out there, marching, or giving the rest of us updates regularly. Thank you.
But like Former DPM Anwar Ibrahim said, there’s still some way to go. He made a remark that tickled my aunt and I though: “Not once though has the government said that they will not cheat in the coming elections! Not once!” because this is the most obvious thing. By not making such a statement, I suppose this means they will cheat as fairly as they can then, hey? 🙂
The struggle ahead’s gonna be a tough one no doubt. It is evident that the ruling factions are deeply unimpressed and unhappy about this, but well, the people have spoken. Isn’t this what a democracy is about?
Will blog more coherently on enough sleep another time. Till then, I breathe a sigh of relief that there were no fatalities, or severe injuries, and many thanks again to those who were there representing the rakyat. I end with an appeal forwarded to me.
***
Urgent appeal: 10 November 2007
At least 20 arrested in peaceful rally for free and fair elections
At least 20 persons, including women, were reported to have been arrested during a peaceful rally this afternoon (10 November 2007) in Kuala Lumpur. They are currently being held at IPK Jalan Hang Tuah.
The rally calling for free and fair elections in Malaysia was organised by BERSIH, a coalition of over 70 civil society groups and political parties, including SUARAM. The organisers had applied for a police permit on 3 November 2007 but their application was rejected by the police.
The arbitrary arrests by the police during the rally is a gross violation of Article 10 of the Federal Constitution, which is the highest law in the country, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
Despite the fact that the organisers have given assurances that it will take all measures to ensure peace and public order, the police still attempted to stop the rally even before it even started by setting up roadblocks in several locations near the venue and arrested 20 persons who were merely exercising their Constitutional rights to demand for free and fair elections.
So far, 15 names of those arrested have been obtained. They are:
1. Salleh Puteh (Male)
2. Anuar Abdul Ghani (Male)
3. Muhammad Haji Yaakub (Male)
4. Mariel Fong (Female)
5. Hasnah Hashim (Female)
6. Raja Salim (Male)
7. Asri (Male)
8. Mohd. Afrarouk Hussin (Male)
9. Daud Samad (Male)
10. Yahya Mohd Nor (Male)
11. Wan Zulkifli (Male)
12. Mohd. Mohd. Awu (Male)
13. Zainal Abidin Haji Abdullah (Male)
14. Elias Raja Daud Raja Abdullah (Male)
15. Mohd Ehsan Mokhtar (Male)
Actions needed
Please send letters to the Prime Minister and the Inspector-General of Police to register your strongest condemnation towards the utter disrespect for Malaysians’ fundamental rights to freedom of assembly and to demand for the release of all those arrested.
Your letters should be sent to:
1. Tan Sri Musa Hassan
Inspector-General of Police
Ibu Pejabat Polis Diraja Malaysia
Bukit Aman
50560 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: +603 2262 6222
Fax: +603 2273 9602
2. Dato’ Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi
Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Security
Prime Minister’s Office Malaysia
Perdana Putra Building,
Federal Government Administrative Centre,
62502 PUTRAJAYA,
Selangor, Malaysia.
Tel: + 60 3 8888 6000
Fax: + 60 3 8888 3444
Cc:
1. Ibu Pejabat Polis Kontinjen Kuala Lumpur
Polis Diraja Malaysia
Jalan Hang Tuah
51100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-21460522, 03-2485522
Faks: 03-20726786
CPO: Datuk Zul Hasnan Najib Baharudin
2. Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM)
Tingkat 29, Menara Tun Razak Jalan Raja Laut 50350Kuala Lumpur.Tel: 03-26125600
Fax: 03-26125620
Chaiman: Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman
3. Attorney General of Malaysia. Aras 1-8, Block C3, Parcel C Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan 62512 PutrajayaTel: 03-88855000
Fax: 03-88889378
Email: ag@agc.gov.my
AG of Malaysia: Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail
—
SAMPLE LETTER
[Letterhead of organisation]
10 November 2007
Tan Sri Musa Hassan
Inspector-General of Police
Ibu Pejabat Polis Diraja Malaysia
Bukit Aman
50560 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: +603 2262 6222
Fax: +603 2273 9602
Dear Sir,
Peaceful demonstrators arbitrarily and unlawfully arrested by police; release them immediately
We are writing to you to register our strongest condemnation and protest against the arbitrary and unlawful arrests of at least 20 citizens who were participating in a peaceful rally in Dataran Merdeka this afternoon (10 November 2007).
So far, 15 names of those arrested have been obtained. They are:
1. Salleh Puteh (Male)
2. Anuar Abdul Ghani (Male)
3. Muhammad Haji Yaakub (Male)
4. Mariel Fong (Female)
5. Hasnah Hashim (Female)
6. Raja Salim (Male)
7. Asri (Male)
8. Mohd. Afrarouk Hussin (Male)
9. Daud Samad (Male)
10. Yahya Mohd Nor (Male)
11. Wan Zulkifli (Male)
12. Mohd. Mohd. Awu (Male)
13. Zainal Abidin Haji Abdullah (Male)
14. Elias Raja Daud Raja Abdullah (Male)
15. Mohd Ehsan Mokhtar (Male)
The arbitrary arrests by the police during the rally is a gross violation of Article 10 of the Federal Constitution, which is the highest law in the country, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
Despite the fact that the organisers have given assurances that it will take all measures to ensure peace and public order, the police still attempted to stop the rally even before it even started by setting up roadblocks in several locations near the venue and arrested at least 20 peaceful demonstrators who were merely exercising their Constitutional rights to demand for free and fair elections.
With such a blatant disregard for its own citizens’ fundamental rights, we question the legitimacy of Malaysia as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
We therefore demand that all those arrested by the police be released immediately.
Thank you for your attention.
Sincerely yours,
[Name]
CC:
Dato’ Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi
Prime Minister and Minister of Internal Security
Prime Minister’s Office Malaysia
Perdana Putra Building,
Federal Government Administrative Centre,
62502 PUTRAJAYA,
Selangor, Malaysia.
Tel: + 60 3 8888 6000
Fax: + 60 3 8888 3444
Ibu Pejabat Polis Kontinjen Kuala Lumpur
Polis Diraja Malaysia
Jalan Hang Tuah
51100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-21460522, 03-2485522
Faks: 03-20726786
CPO: Datuk Zul Hasnan Najib Baharudin
Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM)
Tingkat 29, Menara Tun Razak Jalan Raja Laut 50350Kuala Lumpur.Tel: 03-26125600
Fax: 03-26125620
Chaiman: Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman
Attorney General of Malaysia. Aras 1-8, Block C3, Parcel C Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan 62512 PutrajayaTel: 03-88855000
Fax: 03-88889378
Email: ag@agc.gov.my
AG of Malaysia: Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail
unchained melody 
-aleeya- said,
November 11, 2007 at 12:53 am
damn.. i was keeping up to date with the rally developments as well. my cousins and uncle joined in the march. and they said the same thing. it was a peaceful march until the authorities decided to randomly spray toxic gas at people. meh.. wished i was there as well.
meldee: same. but then again how could we have known for sure that we’d be safe? sigh. the govt is resorting to scare tactics as a cheap shot.
i’m going for the next rally wei, if any.
tem said,
November 11, 2007 at 2:42 am
I was damn sad I couldn’t make it too. I would have been at the edge of my seat refreshing pages to keep up to date as well if I wasn’t helping Fikri’s filming.
meldee: is ok tems…but it was really exciting watching the drama unfold! hope the filming went good! 🙂
Shazeea said,
November 11, 2007 at 12:39 pm
Wish you were there Mel! I met up with Petra at the Istana.
meldee: i know i know i wished so too 😦 next round la.
Malaysian police, you phailed « Izzywizzy said,
November 11, 2007 at 3:39 pm
[…] least 20 were arrested, and Melody has a list of the names of 15 of those that have been detained. Read up on her blog for some ways […]
a fellow rakyat said,
November 11, 2007 at 4:01 pm
your university allows you to take subjects that dive into rallies and public demonstrations better. read Jean Baudrillard’s ‘the spectacle’. he explains the flaws of rallies against current social structures. The BERSIH rally was useless but not its intent.
as we still have a chance, revive the ‘public sphere’ in cyberspace.
i speak as a rakyat, a friend or maybe a future parent … only if this system allows our aspirations to live.
meldee: thanks for the tip, will look it up the next time i’m in the library (if i’m lucky). well i think one of the aims of the rally was to generate public interest, and in that sense it worked. yes, this is why it is important for us to engage in the internet as a public sphere, if only we do not allow ourselves to succumb to fears of being detained or silenced.
if the system doesn’t work, it’s clearly time to look for one that does, instead of sitting back in silence.
Syafrizal said,
November 11, 2007 at 9:16 pm
Fellow rakyat, do you think sitting around will solve anything?
meldee: it’s regretful indeed that people have this perception that yeah, i support your cause, but refuse to go out and get their hands dirty. it’s like cheering a man in a ditch on saying that you’re confident he has the strength and resources to get out and yet not offer a helping hand.
we need a paradigm shift and we need it now.
kathia said,
November 11, 2007 at 10:30 pm
i love how suddenly ‘rakyat’ has become a proper noun. blame the press.
meldee: it’s localising the global, m’dear 😉
tem said,
November 12, 2007 at 1:42 am
what’s a proper noun?
i’m so bad at grammar.
the rally may have sparked public interest, but with the propaganda the national media is forced to spread, people who are out of touch with alternative sources of information might subscribe to what they are told.
the rally can work for the good or bad, the way I see it.
1) Public attention to further inadequacies of our country
or
2) more reason for the ruling coalition to propagate, ‘see? this is why you need us to keep the peace’
what’s more, at the rate we’re going, people are being told that this is an “anwar rally”. even foreign press are publishing articles stating that.
ironic because this rally is not even political to begin with.
we have to keep in mind that many people don’t have the knowledge/training (i wanted to write capacity but that’s just plain mean) to think critically. tonnes more are barely even interested in how things go.
csa said,
November 12, 2007 at 2:05 am
I know it’s oh so taboo in certain circles to mention race, but i must say this. I wish i saw more Chinese, Indian, dan lain lain at Saturday’s rally.
Enough apathy, my fellow Cheenakuis! complaining and migrating to Australia doesn’t solve anything.
I just had dinner with a buncha people who said “Wah, yesterday KL got riot hor” and yeah, they too, thought it was an Anwar event. So urghhhh pffft.
We can’t force awareness down people’s throats, so what do we do?
Our press is so… pfft.. what to do?
I agree with Temme. This could be good, this could be bad.
The government can and probably will take this and spin it into a “BN menjaga keamanan rakyat” bullshit. RTM has been showing clips on how “Demonstrasi selalunya berakhir dalam keganasan” and I might add, they’ve used clips from Pakistan and other countries to “prove” their point.
I suspect the ruling coalition is unfazed by this. They’re quite arrogant. They know they can call the elections anytime and they will still win. We can only hope this memorandum makes some difference. Maybe we need divine intervention.
Btw. the Bersih rally organisers have a tea appointment at Bukit Aman tomorrow. Should be interesting to see what happens.
And perhaps I should go rant on my blog instead. Wahaha.
Sekian, terima kasih.
-aleeya- said,
November 12, 2007 at 2:37 am
2nd comment on this post but what the heck.its an interesting one. most of the local news claimed that BERSIH was a front for the opposition parties and since dato’ seri anwar was there..therefore it is a ‘political’ rally. logical assumption to be made..if you don’t go beyond our local medias obviously. can’t believe that what i studied during issues of journalism class can actually be put to use :p
Nahili said,
November 12, 2007 at 5:26 am
Everyone is rallying these days; Monks, Turks, Pakistanis, American screenwriters, Malaysians…
Okay, there’s no such thing as “full democracy”, and nations always strive to get more. But did peaceful rallying or protesting ever work. I just miss historical facts… I know that “angry mob” strategy, supported by secret forces & organizations sometimes work: French & Russian revolutions. What about peaceful demands, do they actually work?
kathia said,
November 12, 2007 at 6:09 pm
tems, just write capacity. they deserve it.
yesterday, on the way to the gym i overheard a conversation about the rally. two women. one in her late 50s and another in her early 30s.
one said the rally was against the constitution, while another said anwar is calling for election.
i almost burst out in flames and then proceed to assault them for their apathy and lack of need to find out how their country is turning into a banana republic (not the clothing brand).
oh the kind of people NOT be stuck in a lift with.
meldee: *pat pat* i’d have glared at them, or, depending on my mood, told them as nicely as possible about it. you know how they teach us to be kind to the less fortunate? well.
tem said,
November 13, 2007 at 2:12 am
oh my goodness, kathia, i agree with you.
people like these really need to be told off for their ignorance.
i can’t believe people sometimes.
Nahili said,
November 14, 2007 at 4:06 am
Anyone who’s not Malaysian and wants to understand is stupid (lacks capacity). Great!
Who’s got a long way to go now?
meldee: i think you misunderstand nahili. we refer to anyone who cannot think for themselves and formulate an opinion, or remember that there is always more than one side to a story. people who lack intellectual capacity can be of any ethnicity or nationality.
Nahili said,
January 29, 2008 at 4:50 am
I must have misunderstood. Sorry if I’ve hurt any feelings (I guess I just made myself look ridiculous.)
Here’s my question together with the my logical reasoning behind it.
-If elections are fair, then why rally?
-If elections are rigged, then a group of people is corrupted (which is a very bad and grim assumption).
-Why disrupt normal flow of life if people don’t support your cause anyway? Is rallying going to show them that you’re better? fairer? believe in justice? believe in peace?
-If they liked you, wouldn’t they support you anyway…
-is rallying the Asian way, or is it a disease that comes from West? abnormal for us? strange for us?
I still don’t get this rallying ideavirus. Why more destruction instead of creation is promoted? Why people follow western way, which is usually based on force, not on justice…