COMMENT This is not a commentary on the motives and politics behind yesterday’s red shirt rally.

Rather it is a review of organisational successes and failures during the protest, from the perspective of a greenhorn journalist.

So without further ado, let’s start with what the organisers of Himpunan Rakyat Bersatu did right:

1) Loudspeakers that were actually loud

Anyone who went for the Bersih 4 rally will tell you their sound systems sucked. It was hard to hear anything, especially with everyone blowing their vuvuzelas non-stop.

But yesterday’s organisers installed really good speakers on their grand and expensive-looking stage, and those who spoke could be heard clearly from a distance away.

Whether anyone not gathered in front of the stage actually listened, however, is a different matter altogether.

2) Portable toilets

They had quite a few not far from the stage. This would have likely have deterred public urination as allegedly happened during the Bersih 4 rally.

3) Providing food, drink, and transport for participants

Marching is tiring business, so getting transport to gathering points helps conserve energy gained from the free food and drinks.

From this perspective, the rally organisers did a good job, but they did commit a number of blunders.

The long march

1) Gathering points too far away from end destination

Many of those who marched from PWTC yesterday were above 50 years old. Some were in their 60s and approaching 70.

After being ferried to PWTC on chartered busses, they were made to walk more than 3km from the Umno headquarters to Padang Merbok, and later walk back to PWTC, for a total distance of more than 6km.

Seriously? Would you make your mother walk that far? Under the hot sun? You’re lucky the haze had dissipated yesterday.

This is double the distance marched by Bersih participants on Aug 29.

No wonder many stopped marching after the halfway mark.

2) Insufficient leaders on the ground

What I observed while I was at Jalan Putra yesterday was that protesters had no idea what to do before the marching started.

The organisers should really learn from Bersih and the opposition, who would station many known faces at gathering points, and rally the participants around them.

This way, protesters would have speeches to listen to and get them pumped up, and later guide them when marching, instead of leaving participants to figure everything out themselves.

However the calibre of their speakers should also be considered, as many seemed disinterested in what was going on in Padang Merbok, prompting them to leave two hours before the protest ended.

Not so bersih?

3) No security

The National Silat Federation (Pesaka) had promised to deploy its warriors to provide security for the participants.

However, besides the silat performance in Padang Merbok, no other visible security was present.

Which is probably why some of the folks from out of town, left to their own devices, were not quite sure which direction their far away buses were at after the rally ended

Having security 3,000 strong might have also helped with the fracas in Petaling Street, too.

4) Trash, trash everywhere

Padang Merbok and Jalan Parlimen were filled with trash after the rally.

There was so much trash that a Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) officer quipped that there was 3 tonnes of it in Padang Merbok alone.

In contrast, while there was a lot of rubbish during Bersih 4, they had a lot of volunteers collecting the trash with big plastic bags. The volunteers were so thorough, they picked up cigarette butts from the street.

Who’s not ‘bersih’ now?

Related reports

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Dr M says he’s still clueless about red shirt rally’s aims

Ethnic relations have worsened, says Merdeka Centre

Stop unhealthy racial polarisation, says ex-envoy

If 916 turns 513, who will be Tunku, Razak and Harun?

ZIKRI KAMARULZAMAN is a member of the Malaysiakini team.