'1 Muted Malaysia' flash mob a muted affair

Activists protesting what they claim is the government’s long-standing and iron-fisted control over the media has gathered at the Suria KLCC mall in the nation’s capital to express their displeasure through a little civil disobedience.

Sadly scarcely a dozen protestors turned up despite the hype surrounding their much anticipated ‘mobbing’ of the national landmark.

This is the third press freedom flash mob to hit KLCC, this time triggered by the recent ‘ silencing ’ of three popular Chinese radio station 98.8FM talk show hosts.

At 2.45pm about 11 mobbers gathered in front of a popular book shop in the crowded mall, dressed in black and sporting surgical face masks.

The masks bore the words “1 Muted Malaysia”, the theme of their protest, in bold.

“If you can’t hear me clearly, it is because I am muted,” lecturer and press freedom activist Wong Chin Huat told Malaysiakini .

He says that their masks symbolise the government’s muzzling of the public and the media from speaking out the truth and questioning dubious government practices.

Wong and the rest of the ‘flash mob’ were greeted by photographers and journalists who had staked out the book store since noon, after news of the flash mob circulated through text messages and emails since last night.

However, mall security soon turned up to ask the protestors to take their grouses outside.

Guards then escorted the ‘mob’ out of the crowded shopping complex.

Along the way they stopped several times to interact with puzzled onlookers, who quizzed them on what they were doing.

Beware ‘Nazi-style’ oppression

By 3pm they were outside the mall entrance facing the KLCC park, and the mall security graciously allowed them 30 minutes to air their grievances.

The flash mob which by now had swelled to about 20 with stragglers whom they picked up along the way, re-enacted their trademark upside-down paper-reading stunt to press home how they felt the mainstream media turned truth upside-down.

Despite the muted turn-out of participating mobbers, organiser Josh Hong believes that they are still making an impact.

“While not many people turned up, we got a good response on Facebook and the people are aware of this.”

Hong however hopes that more and more people will join them in speaking out, warning that silence may lead the people to suffer the same fate as the Germans under the Nazi regime.

Video

1-muted Malaysia flash mob at the KLCC | 6.35 min