MALAYSIANS KINI When the international environmental NGO Greenpeace interviewed him for a job, Heng Kiah Chun's interviewer warned the young man that the job might involve attending protests that could lead to his arrest.

Heng said that was not a problem for him.

"It's all okay for me because I've gone through all that," he said matter-of-factly in an interview with Malaysiakini .

His resume speaks for itself. At 25, he has lost count of the number of protests he's attended and he reckons he has been arrested at least four times by the authorities.

He eventually got the job with Greenpeace.

Almost a year later, he is still the only Greenpeace representative working in Malaysia.

“People always ask, where is my office? I tell them, wherever there’s Internet connection, that’s my office,” he said.

Of slight build, the bespectacled Heng seems like a good fit for a global NGO known for its direct action in environmental campaigns around the world.

Greenpeace, whose flagship is called ‘The Rainbow Warrior’, first made headlines in 1971 when its volunteers and journalists sailed in a small boat into the seas of north Alaska to protest the US government’s underground nuclear tests.

Building local support

Right now, Heng is working on seedling programmes, to generate more local support for Greenpeace.

He is also working on a haze campaign under Greenpeace, a collaboration with the NGO's branches in neighbouring countries.

In Malaysia, the haze campaign is currently generating a petition to support solutions for stopping the annual smog, he said.

Recognising that many are doubtful of the effectiveness of petitions, he said there must be proper follow-ups for petitions to be successful.

"The moment you sign a petition, you are endorsing the contents of the petition.

"At the same time, awareness (on the issues) will be generated from day to day, so we will have to follow up properly for (the petition) to actually work.

"The core reason for success is the people's power. We cannot just rely on one organisation to solve the problem," he explained.

Not afraid of being in right

Hailing from Ipoh, Heng's first foray into activism was as a student in Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar), where he majored in broadcasting.

"I was curious about what makes students go out on the streets to protest.

"Then I realised, if only one person protests, then maybe there is something wrong with that person, but if many people are protesting, then maybe the situation is wrong," he mused.

He was involved with the Malaysian Youth and Students Movement (Dema), and also recalled being part of the Occupy Dataran and the Bebas protest actions.

During the Occupy Dataran movement in 2012, he, along with other student protesters, set up camp on the iconic landmark Dataran Merdeka to demand for free education.

On the fourth day, he said some ‘gangsters’ came and caused a ruckus, injuring some of the protesters.

"Were we afraid? That kind of gangsterism cannot frighten us. Instead, it will motivate us to do more, because what we are doing is affecting someone's interests," Heng said.

His latest police arrest was during the Langkah Siswa action in August, where student protesters planned to sit outside Parliament house until Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak resigned from his position.

"I'm not actually part of Langkah Siswa. Those students are my juniors and I went there to show my support," he explained.

When the police started to arrest the students, he tried to take pictures of the incident with his mobile phone.

"A cop told me to put my phone away but before I could do so, another pushed me from the back and then they arrested me," he recalled.

He ended up with a bloody nose and broken spectacles during the scuffle that ensued.

That incident did not faze him as he said there is nothing to be afraid of if you have not done anything wrong.

Joining the green platform

So how did Heng make the switch from student activism, verging on political activism, into green activism?

"There are a lot of student activists who will join politics; I think we have enough political activists.

"I thought I would make myself into a community organiser through the green platform," he said.

Some people do not like to get involved in politics, he explained, so he is trying to empower people through a different platform.

What he does is somewhat related to political activism after all, he argued.

"We are also trying to build more people to be citizens - people who participate in the country's development and progress," Heng pointed out.

Whether it is through politics or through helping the environment, the end goal is the same, he said.

"We cannot just rely on politicians, we have to start to try to change things ourselves.

"For me, I would definitely stay as a community organiser, regardless of which NGO I am working for in the future," he said.

 

 

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