Even without leaders, people make their voices heard
Thousands could not make it into a Kelana Jaya stadium brimming with a heavily passionate crowd last night, and many could not even drive anywhere close to it as Petaling Jaya was caught in a gridlock by those heading to the mass protest rally against the Sunday's polls alleged fraud.
VIDEO l Black Wednesday l 4.45 min
VIDEO l Anwar's speech l 25.52 min
Thousands could not make it into a Kelana Jaya stadium brimming with a heavily passionate crowd last night, and many could not even drive anywhere close to it as Petaling Jaya was caught in a gridlock by those heading to the mass protest rally against the Sunday's polls alleged fraud.
At least half of the 120,000 people who descended upon the stadium for one of the biggest rallies in recent times did not even get to hear their leaders speak.
Many did not have a clue when or where the likes of Anwar Ibrahim and Lim Kit Siang spoke. Part of the sound system in the stadium was inaudible to the outlying areas and even to some stands at the far end of the stadium.
But be it from outside or from their cars, the people were intent on making their voices heard about their dissatisfaction with the outcome of Sunday's polls.
Most came dressed in black and simply blew away their vuvuzelas every time they heard the crowd cheering from inside the stadium, though they could not make out which leader had been speaking at the time.
When the part of the crowd that could hear their leaders cheered, the rest of the sea of people followed suit.
They chanted "Ubah", "Reformasi" and "Hidup Rakyat" almost at will, and passionately sang Negaraku when the rally ended at about 11pm.
Those who could not join the crowd decided to park their cars along the Federal Highway, some 5km from the stadium, and chanted along with their fellow supporters along the road.
Others chose to simply abandon their vehicles, causing three traffic lanes in Lebuhraya Damansara-Puchong (LDP) to be blocked, and walked half an hour to get to the stadium.
Some only reached after 11pm when the event was already over, but were intent on making it to the stadium to join in the party and make their voices heard.
The traffic gridlock which dominated Petaling Jaya yesterday did not end until 2am in the morning, as many supporters also had to wait for cars blocking their vehicles to be moved before they could proceed forward themselves.
The sentiment of those who attended was clear - they still believe in a change of government, and were eager to listen to their leaders telling them how that dream would still be possible.
'This is a Malaysian tsunami'
DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang was heard outlining Pakatan's plans to petition against the results in at least 30 parliamentary seats and a few other state seats in Perak and Terengganu.
Meanwhile, PKR
de facto
leader Anwar Ibrahim - who had to arrive to the stadium in a motorbike due to the traffic - told the crowd in no uncertain terms that the Chinese are not the only one throwing their weight behind Pakatan Rakyat.
This was a Malaysian tsunami, and the people wanted to make it a point. Even an elderly Chinese woman was busy making her point with a placard at the stadium entrance which read, "This is not a Chinese tsunami? This is a Malaysian tsunami".
The topic of foreign voters had also become a viral hit among the participants, where small road dramas recounting how foreign nationals - allegedly Bangladeshis - were given identity cards (ICs) and allowed to vote, drew in curious onlookers.
Yesterday's 150-minute rally was a call made by Anwar to address the crowd for the first time post-elections.
Though the people converged upon calls by the opposition leaders, it was apparent that they have taken this fight as their own and not just for any political party.
The call might have been made by the leaders, but the people have taken this movement as their own and are intent on not allowing the momentum to die.
But it remains to be seen whether such a massive gathering would have caught the attention of BN and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who has not stopped talking about a "Chinese tsunami" since Sunday, while consistently appearing to blame DAP for "polarising Malaysians".
Related stories
28 Pakatan rally speakers to be probed for sedition
Dr M: Rally held because Pakatan can't accept defeat
Anwar praises rally participants
Sea of black shows there's no stopping this locomotive
Independent candidates object to Pakatan rally
US congratulates Najib, frowns on polls irregularities
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
This action cannot be undone.