WE THE PEOPLE WILL HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/analysing-bersih-3.0-malaysian-in-the-us/

Just would like to post here and share, my comments on FB to Farhana's posting of this excellent article from the Malaysian Insider. My comments reflect some of my thoughts post-Bersih 3.0. :-

"Precisely. The stupidest thing to me is that the government (via police) is justifying their actions of the whole brutal shenanigans- tear-gas, hauling people in masses to the police station, etc- because it is an illegal assembly. But why must it be illegal in the first place? The government made it an illegal assembly! without justifications. It is still beyond me why people cannot be allowed to gather peacefully so long as their cause is not "supportive" of the government. Then we might as well be a communist country then. Just obey, no questions asked.

When such a large number of people gathers (remarkable!), and some violence did ensue, then the problem is that it is impossible to positively determine who started it off. Because once it is started, of course there will be a chain of reaction, as people caught in violence (both sides) would have no choice but to defend themselves. Here it is going to be a he says-she says situation. Bersih participants started the violence. No, the police started the violence. Both sides are personally involved, and hence none of their words can be taken in value. THEREFORE, we turn to the words of the IMPARTIAL observers, the international observers and international journalists, etc, who were in the middle of it TO OBSERVE AND REPORT with no personal stake involved. (Now those who says the international people are actually biased because they want the opposition to rule so that the West can exploit the country and destroy Islam, etc, u know the usual, are clearly delusional. Malaysia ni tak sehebat mane pun untuk diorang nak exploit. Bukan lah kita ni kaya sangat dengan minyak pun. Bukan lah ekonomi kita ni mantap pun. Bukan lah kita ni Islamic sangat pun, tengok lah perangai2 majority Muslim kat Malaysia ni. So sila sedar diri sebelum nak perasan negara luar nak ekspolit kita.) And I saw on the Singapore news (ok ni pun mesti ada orang akan argue "oh Singapore memang nak menjatuhkan Malaysia". Please. The reason I watched the Singapore news is because of course la these kind of report would not be shown on Malaysian governement-controlled news channel), INTERNATIONAL observers, from India, etc, Australian ambassador and so on, stating that they were in the midst of it and the people were indeed gathering PEACEFULLY, and the brutality and tear-gassing from the police were totally UNPROVOKED. (I guess the police were attacking just for the sake of it being an 'illegal' assembly as their justification, as above)

Now, I am not blaming the police, and yes we should not maki hamun the police (I read someone's status saying what if polis2 tu mak bapak kita and kita tengok org lain mencarut2 tentang polis), but we should instead blame the people WHO INSTRUCTED THE POLICE i.e. our beloved government. Seriously, nak tergelak tengok press statement Najib on why it is ok to use tear-gas on the people. Because using tear-gas is better than if lost of lives were to happen. Problem is, if the brutality was unprovoked, i.e. it is the police side who started the violence, then why are you using fear of lost of lives as an excuse to tear-gas the people? You, yourself incite the violence, then u use that as an excuse to further attack the people. Brilliant. (It is not that you can just use tear-gas whenever there is a large crowd gathering for 'fear' some lives might be lost if the gathering continues. You only use it when the crowd gets unruly and HENCE threatening lives. But not when YOU are the one being 'unruly'. Please understand the fine distinction here MR. Prime Minister).

To me, whatever has happened, BERSIH 3.0 is a success. Why? Because more important than the actual demands made by Bersih 3.0 is the MESSAGE that it seeks to send to the government. That is, the people will not lay idle and let you make a mockery of our democratic system, let you run rampant with corruptions, let you trample on our rights, and let you do whatever the hell you want just because you are in power. WE THE PEOPLE WILL HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE."

Now, I would like to add.

Yes I am pro-Bersih 3.0, for the MESSAGE that it seeks to put forth to the government- Accountability. But I am also a realist, therefore I know sentiment would mean both sides would try to put the blame 100% on people on the other side of the fence. BUT, what is important now is how this nation MOVE FORWARD post-Bersih 3.0. And so on this point I think Art Harun says it best on his blog (and I quote):

"I say, apart from that, the Bersih rally reveals a nation which is not at ease with her people and on the other hand, a people which is suspicious of their nation. It shows that at times, all of us could lose our head and descend into some kind of a contagious sickness.

I just pray that soon, all of us would regain our collective consciousness; regain our rationality and reasonableness; regain that missing piece of humanity. And then perhaps we would sit down, with a cup of coffee in hand, and ponder whether we would want to continue with our waywardness.

Or whether we would want to heal this nation; get back on our feet and move forward as one people with one purpose.

In unity."

Whatever it is, for my thoughts and admittedly my sentiments, underlying it all is my utmost and unshakeable belief in the Rule of Law (NOT the Law of Rule) wherein every democratic government, as Malaysia claims to be, must be reminded lest they forget, that WE THE PEOPLE WILL HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE.