The Candlelight Vigil…. an activity in futility?
January 7, 2008
I couldn’t make the candlelight vigil last Saturday. Colin was there, though, and he wrote to share his thoughts.
I’ve reproduced the same below.
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I write with great heaviness in my heart after reading that water cannons were once again used on the participants of the GMI organized candlelight vigil on Saturday, Jan 5, 2008.
I am saddened by the use of water cannons on peaceful people gathering to hold a vigil, but I was equally as sad at the faction of the participants who refused to disperse after the successful vigil. The organizers of the event had managed to broker a last minute bargain with the PDRM to allow them to hold the vigil near the flag pole in Dataran Merdeka for a while. A group of us who were initially blocked out at the Magistrate’s Court side managed to walk through the Bar Council building and reach the main vigil group at about 8.20pm. We managed to light up our candles and join in the solidarity for about 10 – 15 minutes before the FRU started beating their shields with their batons to intimidate us and get us to disperse. True to their word, the GMI organizers started requesting the crowd to disperse and thanked everyone for coming. My friends and I dispersed as well feeling very happy that we managed to gather and then disperse peacefully.
It was only later that I found that there were those who just refused to budge after initially moving away from the FRU folks. Borrowing from the malaysiakini.tv video title, there was a great “reluctance to end the vigil”; perhaps because their candles hadn’t finished burning, I don’t know. The GMI organizers finally gave up trying to disperse the crowd and they left after that. The PDRM were of course always going to use their famous weapon of choice, the water cannon, so that our critics and those in power would have more ammunition to cast more bad light on yet another peaceful assembly as rowdy and unruly in which water cannons had to be used. Check out the link to the Star online newspapers below if you don’t believe me.
I am in no way condoning the use of the water cannons and I totally agree that this was infringement of our rights as Malaysians to gather peacefully (under article 10 of our constitution). But for a while, we had a glimmer of hope, of cooperation with the PDRM for the vigil. If we had kept to our side of the bargain, then we would have had a much bigger voice to demand that we the requirement of a police permit be removed because we have proven that we are able to assemble peacefully and then leave as peacefully as we came. It is sad that we have to resort to such measures to prove our point, but it could have one small step in the right direction.
I personally felt that the vigil had been a success up till the water cannon incident. It was truly a sight to behold, watching probably 200+ of us standing together holding candles that seemed to shine much brighter than the street lamps and yellow lights that were around us. And the fact that it was peaceful (before the water cannons) was great. However, after realizing what had taken place after I had left, I now believe that the vigil may have been one step forward and two steps backward.
I fully anticipate loads of brickbats and disagreements to my views, but this is my current personal opinion. I will take all comments on board, especially if I am wrong. But I will not respond via email as it may just further fuel more disagreements. If anything, I’ll probably discuss it personally.
I end this with a comment that I found posted in malaysiakini.tv which I felt was pretty apt:
“My friend and I drove all the way from Penang to join the short vigil but was saddened by the actions of some unruly crowd. In the beginning the police did give us some (a short) time to do what we wanted to do, then we were asked to disperse, most of us, including the organizers followed except for some. Why do they want to be confrontational, this may jeopardize our chances for the next gatherings. What the police did was ‘high-handed’ but the crowd were NO ANGELS either. We need ‘disiplined’ crowd to ’send’ our message across to the government, not unruly ones. My advise to these people, please don’t join any gatherings if you cannot control your emotions or your actions.”
More reports can be found here:
http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/legal/general_news/anti_isa_vigil_dispersed_with_water_cannon.html
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/76725
http://beritakini.wordpress.com/2008/01/06/anti-isa-vigil-dispersed-with-water-cannon/
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/1/6/nation/19932612&sec=nation
January 7, 2008 at 4:30 pm
I agree with Colin. I was there. And while most of the blogs were focusing on the use of water-canon, seems like almost everyone did not want to acknowledge the fact that some of the participants did not give due cooperation.
Due acknowledgement has to be given. To be fair to the cops, they did wait until the clock sounded signifying 8:30pm, the agreed upon time when we would disperse. While a few more minutes wouldn’t have hurt, in order for the prayers being recited to be complete, they did not start using the water canons right away either.
From our side, a few bad apples, some scruffles, yet it would indeed be quite a big setback for the tireless efforts of the organisers so far.
Members of GMI, activists and several lawyers really went out of their ways to ensure that this vigil went on without unwanted incidents.
Had everyone cooperated and dispersed at the agreed time, it would have been an ‘in your face’ statement sent to the authorities. But, the actions of some that night only went so far as to provide more grounds for them to exploit.
January 7, 2008 at 11:50 pm
It is a good exercise to see Team spirit as well as way of communication within a group that requires team spirit.
1. Did gathering until 8:30pm been clearly “voiced” to all participants in the Group? And, get a confirmation of “yes” from the crowd?
Otherwise, some will think they are visitors to the scene and feel not to follow the group. Especially they came from different walks and mostly not knowing each other.
2. This indicates that a number of people did not have team spirit of such event. A matter of lacking of education or a failure of education to take note of it. So, way of communication or leading will have to emphasize in future.
It shows the police had learned to follow some principle of negotiation and promise to the time. But, they had not accepted the fact that people do have a rights to the place and therefore, number of people there should be relaxed with limitation and not a total dispersement ending up with water cannon and Police into shops. Hope Police know also how far they can go and not overdoing.
January 8, 2008 at 2:11 am
Agent provocateurs? Ours or theirs? Or just plain ‘bad attitude’ on the ones who overstayed.
Colin’s anecdote and POV of the event is the reality on the ground as it actually happened.
The other blogs may not have picked up on this for whatever reasons but at least, the TPP got it here.
It’s a sobering thought, nonetheless.
January 8, 2008 at 8:29 am
Sharing,
1) Gathering till 8:30pm ‘voiced’ out? Yes it was.
Confirmation of yes from the crowds? Not all, actualy
I see your point now.
Agreed, police somehow learned to negotiate, I think its mostly because the organisers were reasonable and diplomatic. But police still haven’t accepted the rights for us to gather.
Shar,
Agent provocateurs? I would love to think its theirs. Actually that’s what people were saying. But truth is I think, its a combination of all.
January 8, 2008 at 8:59 am
[...] While one wonders how “hadhari” (civilisational) the use of water canon is, some believe that the small crowd who refused to disperse is also to be blamed. Read what Collin has to say at People’s Parliament. [...]
January 8, 2008 at 12:37 pm
My posting on Sunday provided a 10 minute video-clip of Arul negotiating with the police, Syed explaining to the crowd and prayers being said. Arul did an exemplery job. But clearly the OCPD was defensive. The police were out there to intimidate. If there were provocateurs they were planted there as normal modus operandi…but they were of no consequence because the participants were focused and behaved. When they pushed us back and we moved they need not have to continuously bang at their shields. I walked briefly with Nanda and he heard me shout lets sing the Negaraku STANDING AT ATTENTION….however nobody heard me. It is understandable…they did not want to provoke the FRU who were bent on striking. Just a question. If we all stopped moving, turned around, stood and sang the National Anthem…would they strike at us?
After being dispersed,it was natural for pockets of people to hang around. I hung around too. Oficilly the vigil was over….the candles had burned out and yet the cannon truck went for a small crowd. Were the people taunting? When the cannon truck blared their siren, it was taunting the crowd….I booed at the truck…and officer turned round and I just grinned at him, and on recallng he was the three pipped officer who asked me when walking over to the participants, if I had a candle….that was the most original pick-up one liner to date. My reply I think emabarrassed him and that probably was why he did nothing when I booed at the siren…….and you dont rush into a restaurant and force patrons to vacate. Take my word for it. It happened. Watch the video to get a good sense of that night.
January 8, 2008 at 2:11 pm
I was there too and I agree with Colin’s version of what transpired.
After the vigil was over I was thinking that our point was made and we should give ourselves a pat on the back and go home and wait for the next vigil. But I decided to hang around a little longer because I have a gut feeling that something interesting is going to happen.
True enough, a huge FRU truck appeared with the infamous water cannon on top. I walked a little further and discovered that there was still a small group of participants (around 40) refusing to go home. I was thinking “guys, enough already. You got what you wanted, just go home.”
When the FRU ordered them to disperse, the crowd jeered them back. At that point I was like “dude, what the eff are you doing?! Stop provoking the FRU!” The FRU repeated the order and the crowd jeered again. At this point I knew it would not be a happy ending. True enough, the water cannon was used and FRU started charging with their batons. I gave a sigh and walked to the LRT station. The police actually compromised this time. We asked for an hour and they gave us half. We got what we wanted, we made our point and that should be the end of it.
Colin is right, the crowd (the remaining ones I mean) are no angels either. And I want to give special thanks to Lateefah (that lawyer chick) who went out of her way to control the crowd. It’s not an easy thing to do considering the amount of people but she did her best.
January 8, 2008 at 11:37 pm
Nanda,
Thanks your note!
Many reactions of the Police as mentioned by Colin & Zorro, Laksarian are showing Police taking participants as Kids.
With hitting boots, batons and shields showed
they have trained little to react!
When anyone reacting more than a kid, the Police will be in a mist!
Zorro,
Negaraku will stun them quite a while as they have to think of reacting to a National anthem or not,
then to realize if it was National anthem at all!
Testing their wisdom surely will stun them a lot!
Overall, pretty well done!
Putting both sides in a mirror to show the world!
Are Police well aware?
Same goes to the Government at the back!
Have anyone find any P.R. in any government office?
Police being blunt because they had never trained to know what is PR in fact!
Surely equality or fairness has never been in their book or mind!
Police and Government are in fact the one put to test!!