I was one of those guys who lost my iPhone to the cops for taking extensive photos & video shots. Was it worth it, you may ask. Well, it was worth it, if it was for my country and our future.

Oh hell yes! Even now, I'm not sulking for having lost the phone. But I mourn the loss of those moments of history which I captured with fellow Malaysians who had posed for me and the awesome videos of songs sung by all those people. And so I vent my frustration in an article instead of through photos.

My journey began on the KTM. I was worried that I wouldn't make it to Sentral because I had timed my arrival to coincide with the rally (2pm), instead of going earlier, and I might get arrested for being a loner in the wrong place.

Nobody spoke in the train. It was eerily quiet. Just smiles. Most people were heading for the Sogo/Jamek area but my instincts told me to get off at KL Sentral.

Reaching KL Sentral, life seemed normal, except for the large presence of cops outside. I went into McD's to sit down and buy time. I received news that S Ambiga, Anwar Ibrahim, and many more were in KL Hilton, just beside the KL Sentral station.

It was raining heavily there and suddenly, within minutes, there were booming sounds caused by the cheering and shouting of thousands of people!

Mad rush in KL Sentral

There was a crowd on the top floor shouting together:

"Reformasi!"

"Takbir!"

"Hidup Hidup!"

"Bersih! Bersih!"

"Hidup Rakyat!"

NONE Suddenly there was a mad rush towards the escalator. People were running helter skelter. The crowd ended up moving down the narrow walkway to Brickfields, where a series of tragic events would occur.

The underpass below was too narrow and tear gas was shot at people. Within minutes it was over and the crowd was left leaderless.

But each time the police trucks started up, the crowd started shouting and chanting. However, people started to drift off.

So I followed them through the underpass, through the stinging residue of tear gas. People were steadily walking towards Brickfields, then to the Petronas Twin Towers, and KLCC.

We are all Malaysians

I was shocked at the sizable number of Indians and Chinese. This was not a scene from Bersih 2007. The Chinese were no longer afraid of participating in rallies. The fear of Perkasa or Ibrahim frog had passed for them.

In fact, most were updated and ready for anything. The Indians were aware of national issues and not solely concerned with Hindraf or Indian issues. Ambiga had become the new Uthayakumar.

The Malays were the largest group. Every walk of life was represented within the Malays. Many more than just PAS Malays had come.

The Mat Sallehs, Indian tourists, Japanese, and Koreans walked as well.

Many aunties and uncles, professionals, lawyers, kampung folks, even government servants, so many youngsters were there. This was a Facebook revolution!

Here are some memorable quotations:

"We are here for the future of our children," which was a point that most agreed with.

"If Ambiga is a lady and she could do this - what's wrong with me as a man?" - Malay Uncle.

"I have done worse things, I would go to jail for Ambiga!" - Indian man (he looked like a bouncer).

"Are you one of them [cops]?" - Youngster.

"If this was their brother or sister, would the police hurt us?" - Indian Aunty.

"BN has to go!" - Malay Aunty.

"There is democracy & there is *democracy*" - Mat Salleh.

"Where is the racial riot?" - A general public joke.

"Show us the parang!" - Random shout to the police.

"We are the ones who lost the most due to the degrading of the judiciary" - A lawyer.

Getting back, nothing prepared me for what I saw across the Klang River. When I reached Pasar Seni LRT station, there were tens of thousands of people across the river. I initially saw it as a safe haven.

I joined them and was greeted by tear gas being shot non-stop from the Central Market. It was crazy, the tear gas canisters were falling every two minutes, but the people kept regrouping.

Surprisingly, food stalls were open. The KFC and 7-Elevens ,too, allowed people in and out of the stores. All this despite the fact that the managers had chained and padlocked their entrances.

Pakatan sabotage?

The rally belonged to the people through and through. Bersih was in charge. Not Pakatan. I didn't see units or groups of political parties. It was a random crowd.

Pakatan leaders stepped in only when the crowd had no leaders. Pakatan MPs and ADUNs did not interfere.

For example, S Manikavasagam (Kapar MP) was at Pasar Seni and simply watched the crowd with his team. He never took the lead away from the Bersih committee.

NONE Wong Chin Huat ( right in yellow tee ), political analyst and Bersih steering committee member, was there.

He commanded a crowd of 10,000 people at Pasar Seni station and read the memorandum at the top of his voice.

His face reddened by the energy exerted. It seemed that everyone was impressed with his leadership. He screamed at the top of his lungs:

"Kita tak mahu rasuah!"

"Jangan jangan, jangan rasuah."

His lengthy speech ended with singing "Negaraku" three times. Many had tears in their eyes and some sobbed openly, unable to contain their feeling. Everyone stood and sang in unison. Malays, Chinese, Indians, Punjabis, Kadazans, Asli, etc. were present.

A walk in the park

Petaling Street was a sea of people. I had never imagined that so many people would turn up due to the government propaganda. Protestors were even communicating with the cops.

"How do you expect us to go near to Stadium Merdeka if you intend to paint the whole road blue with uniformed men?"

At this juncture I saw many friends sitting together and snapping photos in the middle of the road. There were dancers, singers, and picnic goers in the crowd just enjoying the day.

So this was the "Walk in the Park" suggested by Datuk Wong Chun Wai of The Star? I felt like asking, "Datuk, please take a look at how much we enjoyed ourselves with fellow Malaysians, People's Paper ka? Come and see the Real People la braderr!".

Also, do note the new trend that emerged from Bersih 2.0 - planking.

Survival of the fittest

The joy was only temporary. As the crowd started to disperse, it was given a warning shot and the FRU started marching in. Before you knew it, they had started chasing and arresting rally-goers.

The weakest ones or slow ones were nabbed straightaway. We were running at top speed.

Next up was a full hour worth of a cat-and-mouse game around the KL Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall and Wisma Tun Sambanthan. I hid in a 7-Eleven outlet, pretending to purchase a drink. The police never chase people who look composed.

Nevertheless, I met my Special Branch agent friend dressed in jeans with his team who advised me not to provoke the police.

He said: "There are vans marked with CID officers, they go for the catch. The rest of us remain on the ground. The cops with cameras take photos of provocateurs (for evidence) then the rest go for the kill... But pity those people at the fringes, or else get caught".

He gave me the assurance that the cops are on our side of the struggle. They're stuck in between the public and their orders from a corrupted government.

Let us go home

When you think it's finally over and time to return, there is another bigger crowd waiting in anticipation! As we ran, walked, and panted back we were greeted by friendly on duty police. This time they even stood and smiled and posed for photos. One guy even said: "Please make sure it comes out on Facebook!"

But just before we could thank our lucky stars, a few FRU trucks came in between Brickfields and Petronas and blocked our route back. People started pleading, "Let us go home.. We are dispersing!".

But alas, this time we were not lucky. The FRU was hell-bent on trapping us. We eventually managed to get back to KL Sentral only to realise that there weren't any trains departing from there and that the LRT had been shut down

The differences

Someone asked me, "What are the differences between Bersih 1.0 and Bersih 2.0?"

I feel that there are many.

NONE The government was fully prepared for a massive rally. They erected major roadblocks and thus created massive traffic jams. Four years is a long time to prepare... In addition, the propaganda and vilification process made everything much more extreme.

The government has learned much but the people have learned more:

  • The government "subcontracting" racism to Perkasa doesn't work anymore;
  • Deeming Bersih as a communist group also doesn't work;
  • Dear government, have you ever heard the bedtime story about the boy who cried wolf? After the third time, nobody believed the boy. You are our government and should be responsible;
  • We have seen too many "Gempar", "Derhaka", "Jahanam" and "Haram" headlines from Utusan Malaysia , New Strait Times , The Star , etc. People don't listen to your stories anymore;
  • Planting "evidence" and taking us for rides does not subdue us either;
  • Facebook & Twitter were hardly used for Bersih 2007;

But during Bersih 2.0, both these sites played large roles to garner support. Post-Bersih stories and events are spreading like wildfire throughout the Internet. Not to mention 65-year-old Anne Ooi. Just look at Aunty Liberty and how famous she has become online!;

  • Planking: For the 1st time, we see a huge number of Malaysians having fun at the rally by planking. Go figure;
  • One Malaysia: This was the theme at Bersih 2.0: Masyarakat majmuk, all the slogans and posters mean nothing. We felt united. One Malaysia;
  • Pakatan Rakyat: This coalition that didn't exist during the last rally gave its support to Bersih; and,
  • May 13th: Racial tensions are instigated by Umno. We have realised this. That is why since 2008, there haven't been any.

We are not looking to incite violence like in Tahrir Square. We are peace loving Malaysians who want free & fair elections. Is that so difficult to understand?

 

This series relates eyewitness accounts of the Bersih 2.0 July 9 rally in Kuala Lumpur for clean and fair elections.