My ‘we reap what we sow post’ elicited the following response from Teoh Chen Tick on Facebook :
“Boycott GE13 called unless meaningful electoral reforms are in place? I don’t know -won’t a boycott give the UMNOputras a free ride to Putra Jaya!!”.
No, Teoh, that would greatly please Najib, UMNO and BN.
Boycott a dirty PRU13, in my view, cannot be the answer.
Hiu Woong-sin, also on Facebook, and all the way from the UK, offered the following interesting suggestion.
“after Bersih 3.0 we go Hartal Nationwide ?”
The people of Malaya carried out a most effective one day nationwide hartal on 20th October, 1947.
Are we capable of the same today?
You tell me.
Delilah, commenting here in this blog, asked : “Haris, come 28th, are we gonna sit/walk, get soaked and gassed and then go home and hope for the best….or we occupy and force their hand. The time is certainly at hand”.
Almost as if replying to Delilah, Gabriel Chong, on Facebook posted the following :
“We M’sians are simply too docile.If only we are as steadfast + hell bent like the Egyptians + the other Arabs,hundreds of thousands of us would remain in Merdeka square for weeks + months until the Govt is brought down,period .The power of the Rakyat is unstoppable if we are courageous and determined as we have the numbers”.
My response to Gabriel : “Gabriel, I am hell bent. I will remain in Dataran after the BERSIH Duduk Bantah officially ends at 4pm on 28/4. Who, too, is hell bent and will join me?”.
Is Gabriel right? Are Malaysians simply too docile?
I’d like to hear from you.
Sarawak Headhunter (@Swakheadhunter)
April 23, 2012
I think Gabriel is right. I will be there & I will stay & I encourage, even beseech all those from Sarawak & Sabah who can afford to make the trip to be there as well & to stay until this illegitimate govt is brought down. It is obvious that this govt is cheating & will continue to do so in GE-13 & that they will steal the election from the people by “legitimising” all their illegal actions.
AngryGuy
April 23, 2012
No, Malaysians aren’t docile at all. All one needs to do is play-up a religious, sectarian or racial issue. And many of us will be foaming a mouth like rabid dogs, eager to take a piece out of each other. BN knows this well enough.
I’m hoping 3.0 will be a focal point for real lasting change. As Malaysians many of us have yet acknowledge the real truth… Are we prepared to give our race/culture/religious identity for for just a Malaysian one?
Alternatively, if BN drives us to the wall like Mubarak did with the Egyptians. We will force a change and just like the Egyptians once its achieved we’ll go back multiple peoples ‘forced’ to tolerate each other.
On the 28th. Please leave your divisive attribute goggles at home. Come just as Malaysians wanting change.
Shawn Tan
April 23, 2012
Taking down a government like how the Egyptians did would not be right. That’s undemocratic. Any government installed after that would lack legitimacy. I will not participate in such a thing. We have to beat them at the game, not sink to their lows.
The ballot box is still the best way.
While the deck is stacked, it’s still doable. It almost happened in 2008.
Shawn Tan
April 23, 2012
We musn’t bring down a government thru undemocratic means. Any government installed after that would lack legitimacy. The key is to beat them at their own game, not sink to their lows.
The ballot box is still the best way. While the deck is stacked, it’s still possible.
It almost happened in 2008.
MMC
April 23, 2012
malaysians are generally in comfort zone to do a “arab spring”
wait till unemployment is 20%, a perfect storm will cometh.
and for a lot of middle class, migration is a good option.
Jared
April 23, 2012
Haris,
I really respect the passion shown by you. But how many Malaysians are like this? Most Malaysians till today does’t care about what our “government” is doing.
Lets just say there’s 300,000 people come for BERSIH 3.0 altogether, that is like still less than 5% of Malaysia population.
I personally won’t think the government will do any changes for this coming BERSIH 3.0, but it will be an important event for the people to understand the power of unity if they come together to speak up against the government.
shakuntala
April 23, 2012
No, the mood of the People has changed, is changing and will change. Have you ever. just on the chance, tried asking anyone if he or she would attend on the 28th, the answer is almost always, “YES, I am going to…and then immediately, “Aren’t you too.”. They mean it. Very few have said they have another agenda, even so, these have it in their heart of hearts that Bersih will succeed, although they find it hard to attend for whatever the real reason is. They wholeheartedly give their support. It is no longer fear, it is a daring which is inexplainable.
The urge to attend is slowly becoming a tidal wave, gathering momentum….we saw a group of YOUNGSTERS sitting at a restaurant daring enough to already wear their yellow Bersih t-shirts. They needed no encouragement. When asked if they knew about the 28th, 2pm date at the Dataran, they said, unanimoulsy “of course we do and we are all attending”
Watch out… the Spirit is willing and the flesh is not weak either, this time around…..watch out, the loudest voices are those of our youth, our youth who will NOT be denied a good future for themselves, they are determined not to leave this country and run away.
Just watch, what our youth are doing at the Dataran, at this very moment….they are setting the example for all of us, to strive, to seek and not yield. It is going to be one big tidal wave of people people everywhere with yellow t-shirts mixed on the way …..like mad, on the 28th. It will be a Peoples Day, here in Malaysia…..it will not be an uprising.
The colour yellow is going to blaze again, like the morning sun and leave trails of the free Spirit that always lies dormant within all mankind, until injustice asks it to be set free.
So help us, dear God because we are ALL without exception ….your children.
zik
April 23, 2012
Even in hopeless situation, You need to fight the battle!!
farida
April 23, 2012
It’s now or never. The writing is on the wall.
ablogsmith
April 23, 2012
hi haris,
i will be at bersih 3.0 for sure
on another thing – sabah and jefferey litingan and his contest all seats thing probably going to lead to multi corner contest
is there anything you or i can do?
I’m working on it
Remie
April 23, 2012
You guys don’t get it. There will be NO Bersih 3.0. The Security Offences Act (SOA) has already been passed in Parliament. Operation Lallang 2.0 BIG TIME, soon.
Just beware okay?
Malik Imtiaz Sarwar has sounded the warning bells. Now, ALL our best legal minds have to come up with solutions/scenarios how to counteract or nullify the SOA.
peter
April 23, 2012
absolutely no boycott. if everytime we sit back and do nothing when awrong is committed god help us
Joe Keegan
April 24, 2012
Mass boycott is an option, but Malaysians are too drugged to the electoral games and will not take this option. Thus the ruling class(es) over and over again cynically continue to fool the people for so many decades.
So short-sighted are Malaysians that we only think or led into thinking of stopping UMNO in its tracks in this election even when everything is staked against the people’s real choice. Of course, boycott of the polls needs to be followed up by other forms of social and political actions, leading to ever higher forms of struggle, including revolutionary upheaval, a neccessary social convulsion to bring real and meaningful transformation for the ‘underdogs’ of the society.
The farce and the fraud of the elections will not be stripped bare for all to see when people go in large numbers to vote and lend credibility and legitimacy to the illegitimate “winner” through flawed, indeed dirtty elections.
Alas, such line of thinking seems to be absolutely unacceptable to most urban middle class Malaysians. Goat or goats bless us.
Lluuung
April 24, 2012
There ought to b a law making bills passed without debate illegitimate ! ??
sampalee
April 24, 2012
Only religion have the solution.The concept of an entity,in seperation with others and the rest of the world is an illusion.Its nature is the nature of the dream.our true nature is the absolute wirnessing the entitities and the world.The dream content is illusion and disappear upon awakening,Only the witness[dreamer] remain.The witness is also known by other names all having the same attributes such as seer,kmower,the light of awareness,the I [as in anal hak] that sees,hear,smell,taste,feels[of sansation] and knows[the content of thoughts]
The kithab show we are all one,good and bad are the forbidden fruit of knowledge that keep us in seperation.We have always been one [like the ONE mirror ehich have the appearances of many as its reflection.The reflection comes from the mirror as all comes from God
Politic and individual right reinforce our mistaken identity with the body[an appearance in awareness]Our true identity is awareness [itself unknowable]The only wat to close the loop is Iam that Iam that god spoke to Moses.The world and all living beings are images of god and God warn us not to have these images and have the nature of mirage.It is seen to exist,but truely does not like the contents in our dream.
Wake up from this dream and we are one with god as GOD is the freamers and its creation are are what he dream into ‘apparent’existance.
Know the Truth and let there be peace,before God turn his dream into a nightmare,with calamity worldwide and the kithab have hinted the nightmare will be the present times.Stop wasting time in politics and learn true freedom from the kithab.Return to religions enmasse for it is the ONLY salvation and liberation from all forms of suffering.If the person is an illusion and is not real,then all his suffering be equally unreal.The devil have trick you to think you are a person.You have infact never left the garden of eden.Its is the hypnotic power of the forbidden fruit [our secular knowledge]
ACR
April 24, 2012
Man proposes, God disposes. And nothing is impossible unto the Almighty.
To him who seeketh the reward of the Hereafter, pleasing his Lord in his march towards righteousness is reward enough.
Sura Hud(11:111-113)
“And, of a surety, to all will your Lord pay back (in full the recompense) of their deeds: for He knoweth well all that they do. (111)
Therefore stand firm (in the straight path) as thou art commanded― thou and those who with thee turn (unto Allah); and transgress not (from the Path): for He seeth well all that ye do. (112)
And incline not to those who do wrong, or the Fire will seize you; and ye have no protectors other than Allah, nor shall ye be helped. (113)”
bigjoe99
April 24, 2012
The fact of the matter is that its really ordinary Malaysian that allowed UMNO-Perkasa/BN to divide us. Sure we elected some leaders who were suppose to defend us but we allowed too many that did the opposite. To excuse ordinary Malaysian for being ignorant then is simply pointless.
The point is we remain divided and even worst than before. THAT is not a problem that can be solved by dreaming of short-cuts like the likes of Hindraf and many Sabah and Sarawakian leadersl. Its a problem that require extensive and deep dialogue as a society even as UMNO-Perkasa/BN tries to thwart that discussion and process of coming together.
Boycott is hence not an answer. Having any many number of Bersih as necessary is simply LOGICAL. Not only that, the fact that Bersih organisers have outdone themselves each and everytime including this one is a test of ordinary Malaysian whether they deserve better leaders.
So no, go head with PRU13, BUT never rule anything out including a Bersih 4.0 that could be our Thahrir Square if UMNO-Perkasa/BN margin of victory is too slim or the numbers too dubious. We are smarter than the cynics that hold power. Bersih proved that twice and will do it again this time. Sooner or later, the smart ones always win..
Malaysian Abroad
April 24, 2012
Shakuntala, you are right. From my feedback, more and more first timers will be attending BERSIH 3. Is that’s why DBKL has evicted occupiers and already cordoned off part of Dataran Merdaka?
As for the idea of continuously camping out in Dataran Merdeka after BERSIH 3, it is not feasible for many if they want to keep their job.
zewt
April 24, 2012
Haris,
It will be a long way before Malaysians will be like Egyptians. During tahrir square, I emailed a friend whom I met during an international conference, asking him how were things in Cairo. He is the head of his department in a French MNC (trust me when I say he is a high level executive). He was at tahrir square… so much to lose but he was there.
Too many of us Malaysians (including myself), are afraid to lose it all. It will take more than just 20% unemployment (as mentioned by someone above) to push Malaysians out of our comfort zone. And Haris, I am sure deep down, you know real change is likely to take more than just ballot.
And if I may stretch the vision a little further… I am afraid that if PR does somehow come into power, the immature Malaysian population will be so agitated by the change that they will vote BN back to power in no time.
Lluuung
April 25, 2012
Dear Sir
R u saying that d time for change will never come to Malaysia since your opinion of fellow Malaysians is SOOO low !?
imneo
April 28, 2012
No worry guys..Change we must and change we get. I pray for Altantuya’s soul for help. May her soul rest in peace.
I pray for God Almighty for His blessings. Period.
Malaysians are too docile indeed.! Someone pls plan for HARTAL.