I had a chat over coffee with Ambiga last week.
In the course of our conversation, I asked her if, during the Walk for Justice in September 2007 where about 3,000 others and I joined her in Putrajaya to walk from the Palace of Justice to the PM’s department to demand a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the VK Lingam video scandal, she had for even a moment thought she would, 5 years on, lead a quarter of a million citizens on the streets of Kuala Lumpur to demand for free and fair elections?
She looked at me, her eyebrows arched, and then she broke into a big smile, burst out laughing and exclaimed, “You must be mad, Haris! I never saw this coming”.
We both laughed, and then a short moment of silence followed.
Holding back tears, I told her that I had served in the Bersih steering committee under her stewardship in the run up to the BERSIH 2.0 rally and was in constant contact with her in the run up to BERSIH 3.0. On both occasions, despite pressure from loved ones and from the authorities, she never wavered from the responsibility thrust upon her to lead in the pursuit of justice. She had answered, and answered with such grace, a divine call to selflessly serve the people.
I told Ambiga I had bad news for her. Her task was not at an end. Her leadership was still very much needed and, as she had done thus far, she would rise to the occasion again.
I write this now as a response to Sri Gading’s infamous Abdul Aziz’s categorisation of Ambiga’s lead in the BERSIH 3.0 rally on 28th April as ‘treasonous’. Malaysianinsider has the story HERE.
Najib and so many others in BN, too, have taken to making these vile and scurrilous allegations.
I am not at all surprised.
Freedom fighters throughout time have been called the same, or worse, when they stood up to bullies, tyrants and false democrats.
Malaysiakini reports that the government is upset that Najib has been categorised as a false democrat.
False democrats, according to the author of the article that appeared in the The Globe and Mail, Mark Mackinnon, “hold elections but have no intention of giving up power” and their “serious political rivals are jailed and their parties are outlawed on legal technicalities”.
Najib, UMNO, BN, take a bow! You are being spotlighted!
All that we are witnessing of late are the birth pangs of a new era about to be ushered into this nation.
Mahathir’s veiled threats of violence and incessant efforts to resurrect the ghost of 13th May.
PERKASA’s constant efforts to contrive and conjure a perception of a Malay community under siege, so that UMNO may continue its race-based divide and rule unabated.
What we are witnessing is an old and badly wounded tiger, reacting in horror as it sees before it, a young and vibrant cub reaching the end of its gestation period and waiting to be delivered and to then inflict the fatal blow to end the days of the old one.
See the attacks against the person of Ambiga as just one more act of desperation by that old, wounded tiger.
But Ambiga is not alone in this.
Many Malaysians have answered the divine call to rise and to selflessly serve the people.
Hang Ambiga?
Hang us all then.
And for each of us hanged, another 100 will arise.
Come that day, the young cub would have been delivered.
The People's Parliament 
JinHou
June 27, 2012
Well said bro.
potblack
June 27, 2012
Ambiga, you are not alone.We the rakyat are with you,still with you and always be with you to fight the injustices.
Paul Warren
June 27, 2012
To those who might be dissuaded by loved ones from actively participating in BERSIH or other similar activities, I’d like to share how I shut my mother up. She was going on and on about my preparations for BERSIH 3 recently. Finally I asked her, if she would have also stopped me if we were in India like 80 years ago and that fellow wrapped up in white and funny glasses came along and I wanted to follow him for his march to Delhi. Did not even have to invoke his name. Her response – “podah!”
Good one, bro.
The podah was because she knew you had her snookered!
justine
June 27, 2012
I think….the podah means …..you can go and join Bersih 3.0
You’re probably right
farida
June 27, 2012
Thank you, Haris, for saying so aptly what we feel in our hearts.
Ambiga, you’ll never walk alone. This is for you – and us:
STILL I RISE (extract)
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise….
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries….
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise….
Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise….
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.
Maya Angelou
Devan
June 27, 2012
harunsas
June 28, 2012
Wow! Supreme Awesome pledge in a ever beautiful words intro life live human courage one A must have wonderfully!! Thks 2u farida.
har76sur
October 18, 2012
Wonderful so Wonderful thanks you! In every each word sense of all courage!
Rakyat for all all for Rakyat!
Thanks you *farida posted 27th Jun*
leekh
June 27, 2012
The Sri Gading MP and people like him, who are parties to the theft of the country’s wealth, to the destruction of our country’s institutions are accomplices in the crimes against the country. They are the ones who should hang!
the mythbuster
June 27, 2012
That Sri Gading MP is nothing but a leach, rent seeker and a corrupted UMNOputra who would spout vile lies fictional anecdotes just to please his demented masters in UMNO not to drop him in the next GE. If he had any grey matter he would not have stooped so low as to call Ambiga treasonous. I wonder where this idiot got his education. He is not able to differentiate treason and patriotism. What Ambiga is doing is for the good of the nation – to have a CLEAN AND FAIR election where is scumbag is supporting ALL that is DIRTY in the country. If anybody needs a treason tag, it is no other than Katak Ibrahim and Mahathir a/l Mohamad Kutty.
harunsas
June 28, 2012
Yes Yes HANG those filthy piece of sial sick prick.. GANG!!
Not her Not the godess Ambiga
tbh
June 27, 2012
The people are not BODOH.
If anyone needs defending, it’s those permanently embarassing shameless ones. Hope by GE13, they’ll be knocked out for good!
Simon
June 27, 2012
If we are fighting for a fair and clean election, what are they fighting for ?
Sally
June 27, 2012
They are fighting for themselves….
Ting Ho
June 27, 2012
Don’t be afraid of threats. Stand firm and recover our dignity as rightful citizens of the land. ABU
Alwin Lim
June 27, 2012
If only I am given the chance to put the robbers of my country to jail,
I will use every single second of my time
To count till the every single of Malaysian Copper cents that is corrupted
Every centimeters of land acquired illegally
Every butir of rice grown in my beloved land is important and must be respected
I will go through every dust of old documents that detailed of the wrong doings
And throw every particles of corrupted and radioactive that is around my beautiful air
Must be given back to people who truly love the country and who will defend the country.
If only I have the chance and EVEN the chance smaller than all the above
ongohing
June 27, 2012
Thank you, Haris! As you have said about Ambiga, she is not alone. Neither are you. For you speak for countless numbers of us. This “hang her” call from that hideous side of parliament is scandalous and grotesque. The very thought that such MPs should still be sitting in the next parliament and, worse still, hold on to the reins of the federal government must fill us with utter revulsion and disgust. It goes against the very grain of sensibility and logic that there are still voters out there who could with such evidence before them still think that such MPs are the best thing for the nation’s wellbeing.
najib manaukau
June 27, 2012
She is just trying to make Malaysia a better place to live and also one sure way to have to do that a to have a fair and clean election. Why is Umno fighting and objecting so hard to have to have a fair and clean election ? Don’t they know or want a fair and clean election ?
Worst of all these scumbags and parasites are now trying to brand her as committing treason, or is it the first step to have either her mouth shut and eventually sent to jail !
Just remember we are now living in internet age and people from all the world will get to know what is happening in Malaysia the moment it happens.
Whatever may happen just remember just vote the deceitful scumbags and parasites out of Putrajaya in the coming GE, enough is enough !
vijayakoneVijayakone
June 27, 2012
We are with you Ambiga
Antares
June 27, 2012
We are all part of an epic saga, soon to blossom into a legend and be preserved for posterity as the living mythology of a land that has finally freed itself from the clutches of demon kings and their low-grade djinns. Ambiga Sreenevasan – along with every single individual who has stood his or her ground in the face of evil and injustice – makes a perfect storybook heroine, just as Dr M, Jibby, Rosmah and their Umno gargoyles make the perfect villains. The Unifiers vs the Dividers; Truth Affirmers and Justice Lovers vs the Deniers and Distorters of Reality.
Work At Home Dad
June 27, 2012
I am a coward. I wanted to go. I was not afraid of the tear gas and being chased. I was afraid I could not run fast enough with my arthritic ankles and end up being caught and beaten. I will never be like Ambiga.
Wave33
June 27, 2012
Dear Dad,
I have the same problem with my ankles, I was there. How about Irene Fernandez?
Au Richard
June 27, 2012
My hair follicles stand…my blood boils…I am ready to do battle for you Ambiga!!!!!
Let no human lay his filthy hands on you, for I shall not see the end of day till the deed be vanquished!!!!!!!!!
We Stand Together
June 27, 2012
Despite all the Seri Gading MP’s talk about shedding blood for the country, it turns out that it was we the Bersih 3.0 supporters who already did so first when we risked uncertainty, braved threats and suffered brutal violence on April 28 this year.
If push comes to shove I’m afraid he will soon find out who has more courage and determination to see things to the end, and even his fellow backbenchers may end up sheepishly turning their backs on him.
A little advice for you, my dear Abdul Aziz. A man should always prove his bravery before he talks about it. Otherwise I’m afraid the whole thing will be just embarassing.
YhTamus
June 27, 2012
We should answer that idiot with BERSIH 4.0!
Another Anak Bangsa Malaysia
June 27, 2012
Haris Ibrahim,
Datuk Ambiga is undoubtedly a fearless leader from whom many Malaysians can draw inspiration from.
In having leaders of the calibre like yourself and Datuk Ambiga, there is hope yet for Malaysians.
More power to you Haris Ibrahim and to Datuk Ambiga 🙂
cjsavvy
June 27, 2012
It’s good for people like the Sri Gading MP to speak without considering the consequences. More fence sitters are having their minds decided for them by the likes of these fools. Najib is surely having a huge headache now. The Indian votes are getting lesser by the day with even MIC leaders worked up over the ‘hang Ambiga’ statement. I can’t wait for elections to throw my lot with Pakatan. I really hope the lady stands for election and win.
kwai fong
June 27, 2012
THANK YOU to both of you Haris and Ambiga for taking the lead and standing up for the Rakyat.
WILLIAM
June 28, 2012
Haris and Ambiga,we are behind you and go towards to make Malaysia a better place for
all malaysians.ABU,ABU,ABU,ABU,ABU
LCK
June 28, 2012
Salute to Ambiga, our very own Aung San Suu Kyi !
the mythbuster
June 30, 2012
Well said though Ambiga is apolitical.
rajmorgan
June 28, 2012
We’re a new nation and we’re growing and experience the change much faster then anticipated. The awareness of one citizen one nation is long overdue to throw out ” divide and rule” base on race.
The people must not support anyone and organization with “race” element in their agenda. It’s a absolutely NO!NO!NO! to race base” element”.
the mythbuster
June 28, 2012
Ambiga is NOT alone and neither are you. If at all those UMNOputra scumbags try to take her out legally or by foul means, they are just asking for BIG trouble. The environment in the country has changed totally since 1969 and 2008. People are aware of the wrongdoings in the country and how the PDRM, Judiciary, MACC and other law enforcement agencies have been made subservient to the UMNOputras to do their bidding.
Malaysia may not be like the Middle East countries like Egypt, Libya, Tunisia,etc but if push comes to a shove Malaysians, even the fence sitters would not take it sitting. Ah Jib Gor and his coterie of crooks might see a Tahir Square at Dataran Merdeka.
If the armed might of the ruling governments in the Middle East could not subdue the demonstrators, what guarantee is there our bully boys would stand a chance against people power.
UMNOputras and their demented leaders such as Katak Ibrahim Ali and their patron, Mahathir Mohamad Kutty can rave and rant and ask for the IMPOSSIBLE to happen to Ambiga, but they should realize that any action against Ambiga would have serious repercussions on them not only from Malaysians but also from the world at large.
Stupid UMNOputra rent seekers trying to score points and outshine their equally idiotic peers!
bigjoe99
June 28, 2012
Truth is no one is their right mind would even dare touch Ambiga much less hang her. The words are that of a neanderthal faggart who himself would not do it even if we all did nothing to stop him.
Why the vitriol against the comment from the idiot is simply because we are tired of these moron having no respect for the things that are sacred to dear to us. Its the same disrespect that leads them to be corrupt, abuse power and worst utter mediocrity and failures that have caused us much – much in material and social wealth.
The likes of the moron, the excuses and those that uses him and the same excuses that have cost the rest of us is what makes us angry and respond so proportionately. Its why when Najib says to ignore those who call some of us ‘pendatang’, he is dead wrong – the cost is just too high FOR ALL OF US..
We Stand Together
June 28, 2012
Now Seri Gading MP Mohammad Aziz says that he was only asking.
Well, whoever came up with the saying that there are no stupid questions obviously never met our Seri Gading MP!
Let’s make this buffoon eat his words. Check the Bersih.org page often and find out how to volunteer!
wandererAUS
June 28, 2012
infamous Abdul Aziz
wandererAUS
June 28, 2012
This infamous SOB Abdul Aziz is not only a disgrace to all Parliamentarians in the land, he is not even fit to be a pimp in Chow Kit f**kshops!…when will Malaysians begin to vote respectful and dignified candidates to truly bring dignity back to Parliament?…The answer is simple, just get rid of all those UMNO/BN morons out of Putrajaya.
The nation can do without UMNO, UMNO cannot do without the rakyat….
barry
June 28, 2012
Let’s see, Ambiga she is a pure-blooded Malaysian who is :
a) of Indian/non-Malay ethnic origin;
b) Hindu/non-Muslim;
c) a woman; and
d) not afraid to stand up for truth and justice.
Everything of herself totally against what UMNO stands for, which is no wonder they are so angry at the same time shit-scared.
We are behind you, Ambiga!
Freddie Cheong
June 28, 2012
Well done, Ambiga and Haris. We need both of you and others too. Please keep up the momentum and carry on……
howie
June 30, 2012
Dear Ambiga and Haris, we’ve realized that we can’t depend on political parties to change the system towards good governance. Now that we have found you, to be the saviors of our country we will not let them take you down that easily. Some of us are also prepared just like what you are prepared to face in order to see free and fair election.
Billy
July 1, 2012
Dear Haris, we are all with Ambiga. Had that UMNO bloke make good his threat to hang Ambiga, I am sure the nation will rise to the occasion. I would like to dedicate this song to a very special lady.
Altogether, can we all join in to sing ……