Dear Yellow Fellas

            

My friend, Wong Chin Huat, has a message for you.

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Dear Yellow Fellas,

Slightly more than 12 hours from now is the third Yellow Saturday in Malaysia’s history.

The first one saw 50,000 people marching to the national palace, proudly defending the freedom of speech and freedom of peaceful assembly, guaranteed by the Article 10 of the Federal Constitution, which the police tried to violate by imposing an unconstitutional ban.

The second Yellow Saturday unfortunately saw the police having their way when BERSIH activists distributing leaflets and yellow balloons at KL Sentral were outnumbered by the uniform and plainclothes policemen.

The Election Commission (SPR) Chairman Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman, whose term might be extended, has since arrogantly threatened the public not to protest or he would further shorten the campaign period. (http://bersih.org/?p=619)

You know well the campaign period in last elections was 7 days 13 hours, only one day longer than the legally allowed minimum.

Are you going to take the 6 days 13 hours lying down after we had just staged the first colour protest and the largest protest in nearly a decade? (as candidates can withdraw within 3 days after nomination, yes, you as the voter actually have only 3 days 13 hours to know the final choices available!)

Are you not going to do anything to tell Mr Rashid that you are his boss, that he cannot threaten you, that you believe the electoral process is flawed and he should instead resign now?

Let’s answer Mr Rashid’s 6-13 challenge creatively. Let us know we are now cowed by either the police or the SPR.

You pay taxes all these years (that’s true even if/when you are not working, because all goods and services you consume- unless smuggled – are taxed) and therefore you deserve a better country.

You deserve the rights, freedom and dignity as a human being.

You deserve a legitimate, responsive and competent government.

You deserve a political system that is not rotten, where judges and ballots are not for sale.

You deserve electoral reforms.

You must register your desire for a better Malaysia so that Mr Rashid and the Government know you mean business.

You can do so in any creative way, but two things are vital.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                 You must do it in public. You must document it in images, words or both.

Therefore, eating a banana alone at home and complaining is not political. Getting 20 friends eating bananas at a bus station and chanting BERSIH for one minute, and having this photographed and blogged, will be very political, and for those of you who are worried, safe. Forwarding this message and inviting more friends to join this cause will also be political and safe.

You can change Malaysia in your very own way. No effort is too small if you mean it. All Malaysians, including the future generations, will one day thank you for that.

Do something. You deserve a better country. And the country deserves and needs an empowered citizen in you.

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Document your BERSIH activism and e-mail it to me at thepeoplesparliament@gmail.com with your consent to have the same put up on this blog.