I was there at the ‘Anti-GST’ protest on May 1.

Walking from Sogo to the Sultan Sulaiman building with my fellow Malaysians gave me a sense of exhilaration that as rakyat of this nation we now have a voice when we unite together for a common cause. I take pride that I was there with so many other Malaysians to fight against the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

The subsidy cuts coupled with the introduction of the GST in April next year will surely affect the livelihood of both the lower and the middle-income wage-earners.

The long-term effect is that it will make Malaysia a nation which is no longer attractive to foreign investors. While the hype is to bring the nation to the next level, the truth remains untold that a majority of our country’s population are still not ready for it yet. The education system in this country has never helped to produce the human capital that is required for a knowledge-based economy.

As I was moving with the crowd of thousands of other Malaysians, thoughts flashed across my mind. I looked at the policemen who were on duty to ensure a smooth rally. They are earning a meagre salary. How are they going to feed their families of four or five children?

Then, I looked to my left and my right. We talked to each other, although we were strangers. In my mind, I told myself: “Although this will affect largely the average Malay family with more than two children (most Chinese families cap at two children), as a fellow Malaysian, I felt being in the same boat. If one suffers, all suffer together.”

I cringe when I think that crime rate would increase, but corruption, too, will grow from bad to worse when my fellow Malaysians have to ask for bribes in broad daylight just to feed four, five or six mouths.

The government can continue to say inflation rate is two to three percent per annum, but the effects of the GST, in my opinion, will not only be restricted to six percent, but its impact will be compounded by the fact that traders will take advantage of both the subsidy cuts and GST to further raise their prices. The overall cost of living would be turn many of us into urban poor.

Although the government assures the people that they will be able to control the prices, tell me since when do we have an effective enforcement task force? Even the taxi drivers at the Kepong Sentral Station wanted to charge me RM10 for a trip that would otherwise cost only RM5 for the distance travelled!

Heaps of praises to the police

Comparing this to the rally two years ago during Bersih 3.0, the anti-GST street protest is a world of difference. The police acted professionally.

Except for a scuffle between some ruffians and the PAS Unit Amal team where the police merely stood by to watch, they were there to maintain peace and order.

I expect the police to investigate and arrest the ruffians, and charge them with creating disorder in a peacefully rally out of respect for the organisers who took great efforts to ensure a smooth rally.

What was so different this time was that there were no FRU trucks unlike during the Bersih 3.0, when they were on stand-by. Except for the traffic, the police did not have to use force on the street protesters like they did during Bersih 3.0.

I trust this will be the future of all public demonstrations. Demonstrations are part and parcel of the people’s democracy, especially when the government of the day refuses to listen to the rakyat. Or else, do you think many of us who are professionals and well-educated, have all the time in the world to go down to the streets?

For this one event, I must truly praise the police for staying calm throughout the entire rally. This is, I believe, largely attributed to the absence of political pressure as compared to other rallies in the past.

I expect another major rally to be held very soon over Anwar Ibrahim’s court case. The police have to remember it is there to protect innocent lives.

In the past, the government was seen as going to war with the rakyat, but now, hopefully, the prime minister and his warlords have learnt that such a strategy will only lead to more anger.

In rallies and street protests like this, the crowd was peaceful. Even in Blackout 505, the people knew the meaning of self-control. Ours is a civil society, but please do not make us think that we have a barbaric government in a democratic nation like Malaysia after 57 years of Independence!

So when I told my friends that I went for the anti-GST rally, they asked me, “Really?” The peace and order maintained throughout the street protest was unlike Malaysia. I used to talk about the nation in birth pangs, is this the sign of a new nation being born?

STEPHEN NG is a chemist by training. He dealt with printing ink, paint and emulsion polymer for 15 years before becoming a freelance writer.