Wow, I wasn’t expecting so many comments to my last post; many hits and comments are always a nice surprise

Indeed, as I reckon replying to the last few comments individually, as essentially replied collectively they would constitute an all new post, I shall indeed create a new post to….um, reply the last few comments.

Gah, sorry. My medication is messing with my head, I am quite disoriented and incoherent.

Anyway many thanks to tems, csa, aleeya and nahili for their two cents’ worth.

Indeed, it was a pity that the foreign media played up the fact that Anwar Ibrahim was one of the frontliners of the campaign, calling it ‘Anwar’s Rally’ when in fact it was a rally of the people. But like they’ve mentioned, it’s too easy to jump to this conclusion. Indeed, how can Anwar ever escape his tag of ‘Former DPM’/'KeADILan Advisor’/'BN ‘traitor”? The media, foreign and local alike, are always looking for scapegoats.

I agree with tems and csa that the publicity from the rally can and will inevitably swing both ways; while I both worry and fear that it will be the latter, one cannot deny the impact of it being positive and sparking off a wave of interest among the formerly-apathetic among us.

As for questioning the effectiveness of the rally, how can we say how truly effective it was? Indeed, the success/failure of most things can only be gauged retrospectively, but yeah, perhaps divine interference and guidance is needed. Sigh. But this doesn’t give us an excuse to be fatalistic or apathetic, in fact I think it should motivate us to up our efforts and do as much as we can to bring change about.

In fact, I have had to explain the conceptions behind this rally, what Bersih is, and the raison d’etre behind the rally to friends I never expected to have the slightest interest in politics. Of course, to my chagrin, some gave virtual shrugs and gone ‘Oh well, it’s like that-lah’ before deliberately changing the topic to lighter issues; others were inflamed by the reaction of the police and government and did not hesitate to embark upon a long discussion of the state of politics in this country *heart*.

As a matter of fact, I think to some extent, any publicity of this event is good, in the sense that it has generated much public interest, from both Malaysians here and abroad, and among foreigners too. Of course there can not ever be entirely fair/truthful accounts from one single news provider, which in itself calls for us to examine the many varied accounts of the event available to us.  My advice to my readers would be: don’t be lazy, go out there and read.

There are an incredible wealth of sources out there that give accounts, some more credible than others, but should not be discounted nonetheless.  Just use your own discretion to discern whether what you read is viable or not. Remind yourself of past incidences, and what the government/police is/are capable of, the laws of Malaysia (don’t forget there are two sets, one for the government, and one for the rest of us) and for goodness sake, keep up-to-date on what is actually going on.

Actually I am also guilty of not always keeping myself in the know of current issues, but I do try ok

To what csa said (and I quote):”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.”—too true!

I think for too long already has politics in this country been drawn around racial and religious lines. It is actually to the extent that if in any given area, if there are a Chinese and Malay candidate, the Chinese voter will vote for the Chinese and the Malay, for the Malay. Nevermind their policy approaches, their stupidity (sorry to say this, but it’s true) or their background. We are still of the opinion that representatives the same skin colour as us will serve us better—NOT TRUE, MY FRIENDS.

For those of us who see migration as a means to an end, just let me say with utmost regret and sympathy that you are just being childish and insensitive. I speak from the position of someone who faces the possibility of migration myself, not to flee the country, but to be with the man I love—in fact, who knows, we might even end up in Dubai, Hong Kong or…umm…Kuala Pilah?! I honestly would love to stay on here; home is still home no matter what, and if he were to move here to work, all the better—I can continue with my activism and be close (but not too close) to my assortment of family members.

I have said this before, sure, you can flee the country to escape unfair policies, incompetent ministers and all-round social inequalities, but do you not have other family here? I wonder at how some people can just run off at the drop of a hat and not think about the future of their other family members and friends, and claim to wash their hands completely of Malaysia. Of course I’m sure everyone has their reasons, etc. Who am I to judge?

***

Yesterday Petra, Shazeea and I attended this mini-forum/interview Dahlia was having for an article in a publication she works for, about voter apathy and our thoughts on today’s administration. We were also blessed, I like to think, by the presence of two young men, one of which in particular probably represents the way many Malaysian youths out there think.

He was outspoken, yes, but sadly could not justify his reasoning. When asked if he loves Malaysia, he answered vehemently: “Of course!” But when asked if he is interested in voting, he said no. Just because. He also mentioned many things about skin-colour based politics (basically what I talked about above) and reflected, I feel, the general ignorance, disinterest and apathy of my generation.

But, we agreed, though our generation has been most often accused of apathy and navel-gazing, it is also the fault of the generation before us that sowed the seeds of disinterest, to a certain extent. Not that I’m blaming our parents’ generation completely, but what I’m saying is there are a variety of factors out there which contribute collectively to the way things are now.

This young man also mentioned how he respects the work activists do, and in fact, how he was ’supposed’ to be an activist. I cut in (as I am wont to do), by saying you are either an activist or you’re not. And Petra gave the example that many people claim they support the work of activists, but it’s like telling a man stuck in a ditch that ‘hey, I support you and know you have the capacity and strength to get out’ while standing by the side and cheering them on.

In fact I wrote an article only recently (like, um, two hours ago) about how I found my inner activist.

Wasn’t quite hard, really. Activists are people too, just with a heightened sense of justice and altruism. I’m not saying activists are better people than everyone else, as a matter of fact they too can be victims of bad moods, nastiness and stupidity (as in my case ever so often). In fact, if you can recognise the goodness in people by virtue of the work they do is a very good indication that you have it in you to be an activist.

It doesn’t matter how much you can contribute, or how much you know. As long as your heart is in the right place.

The concluding paragraph of my article ran thus:

“Activism is not for everyone, granted. But it is for the person who longs for changes in the world; it is for dreamers who can take action, for idealists who know when to snap back into reality, and for those who love, who can take hate and transform it into positive energy.

I sincerely hope all you dreamers, idealists and lovers are aware of the hidden powers you possess. Have confidence, dear hearts, you can make a difference.“

I hope this helps some of you find your paths; embrace it wholeheartedly and remember it doesn’t matter how much you give, just that you do.