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MOTHER'S DAY

WITNESS TO A HISTORICAL DAY

Our plan was to go by KTM and reach KL before noon. However incoming news of roads leading into KL being closed and LRT services stopped might put paid to our plan. So we rushed down to the Subang KTM station with alternative travelling logistic already in mind if the KTM was also shutdown. Thankfully it was still running.

There were scores of yellow t-shirt participants amongst some 100 passengers on the platform waiting for the train. When the train pulled into the station it was already jam-packed. Thinking that the next train and the next will be just as full, everybody tried to squeeze in nevertheless. If there was a train conductor in attendance I don’t think anyone will be allowed to board. We managed to push our way in and were literally sandwiched in a mass of bodies. The scene of how they push passengers into the train carriages in Japan came to mind. For someone who rarely takes public transport the experience was quite traumatic. Imagine the body odour and the stifling heat in the enclosed space with very poor ventilation. I could hardly breathe and sweat was streaming down like in a sauna. The troubling thought of what if I was to black out and miss the March flash through my mind. Fortunately, a few stations down some passengers disembarked and the tension eased.

We disembarked at the old KL railway station. There was a festive and jovial mood in the air. Groups of yellow t-shirt people were walking up and down the area. There seems to be a code of fraternity among the people in yellow. Strangers who you would normally avoid eye contract came up to greet and talk to you. As it was only around 11.30AM then we decided to go for a walk about. We passed the group gathered at the National Mosque and proceed on towards Dataran Merdeka along Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin. A road block with 2 rows of barrier one on top the other and coils of razor barbed wire block our way into Jalan Raja. The pedestrian bridge to cross the Klang River from Dayabumi was also sealed off. We had to take a long and exhaustive detour to reach the Central Market.

The crowd was getting bigger all the time. The atmosphere was carnival like and very relaxed. There were sporadic chanting of slogans, singing and laughter. Some short speeches were given before the 2.00pm commencement. Finally at about 2.15pm the march proceeded along Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock and the river of people winded its way past the HSBC bank onto Jalan Tun Perak and finally came to a standstill near the Masjid Jamek LRT station. We tried to force our way to the front but the gridlock of people was impenetrable. Some people were turning back and relayed the message that it was impossible to proceed any further. It was also potentially a dangerous situation to be bottled up in a dead end space as any cause of panic could create a human stampede. So we decided to go with the flow and muscled our way out. Small groups of people have started to disperse. Physically and mentally exhausted by the long hours out in the torrid weather we decided to call it a day. It was already 3.00PM but we were too tired to eat lunch so we decided to head for the KTM station and go straight home.

With the hindsight of events that unfolded in Bersih 2.0, we had come fully prepared. The guidelines in Bersih’s Facebook provide advice on what to wear and what to bring on 428. Running shoes, long sleeves shirt and pants to protect against tear gas sting, salt, towel, mask , ear plug, water and energy food. All ready for the onslaught from the riot police and to be fumigated with tear gas and drenched by the water cannons. I was thinking on the way home -nothing happened. Not a whiff of the tear gas. Not a single spray of water. What a peaceful and beautiful day!

We talked to a Malay couple about the event while waiting for the KTM at the station. Was Bersih 3.0 a success? Definitely. The message delivered by over a 100,000 people on the day was loud and clear. But in my opinion, the organisation for the day could have been a lot better. With the designated gathering points spread over 6 locations, there was a dire need for a central command to coordinate all the actions. There must also be a main coordinator at each location. A good sound system mounted on a pickup truck to direct and motivate the crowd and keep them constantly updated on the happenings across the city. Bersih also should have at least attempted to direct and merge all the groups at a strategic point for the 100,000 people to sit down and protest (duduk bantah) and flood the main street with a river of yellow to create an even greater impact.

Apparently the peaceful protest took an ugly turn after 3:00PM when mayhem started. Whether it was due to a few over exuberant protestors crossing the barricade or instigated by saboteurs it provided the opening for the authorities to unleash their massive onslaught. All the criminal acts committed on that day were probably being recorded in the thousands of individual video cameras and hand phones. Hopefully, the true picture will emerge when all these evidence are pieced together and documented for the world to see.

simon    1.5.2012