Being Unreasonable: 10 Nov 2007

I was there. I had to. I couldn't look into my daughter's eyes and tell her years from now that I was too indifferent, worried, scared, apathetic to do what many now consider the last practical channel in instituting real, far-reaching, and positive change to the way this country will be run. Changes that will determine if the country will have a second real chance in not only surviving, but thrive in this new brutal globalized world, or that it will head inevitably into being one of the many basket cases, failed states that pepper this globe. At least now my conscience is clear. My fellow concerned citizens and myself have made the choice to brave the rain and the police, the threats of the inept, corrupt, and utterly arrogant Umno regime, to accompany our leaders to hand over a petition to our Agong to intervene, for all our sake and the country's. We have done what we could. Now the ball is in the Rulers' courts. Their response and action will determine not only our future, but also of their own. Raja Nazrin has said before in his speech that the Rulers risk fading into irrelevancy if they fail to change with the times and to be in tune with the aspirations of the rakyat.

We headed down early by the LRT. Already the police were causing traffic havoc by setting roadblocks on every major arterial roads leading into KL. KESAS, Federal Highway, Old Klang Road, even the North South Expressway all the way up to the north as well as the east coast. They seem intent on stopping all people from traveling normally. And they have the cheek to say the rally will cause traffic inconvenience. But that didn't stop some 40,000 of us to march to the Istana Negara from four meeting points - Masjid Jamek, Sogo Shopping Center, Central Market, and Masjid Negara. However, at 2.00pm havoc was already wreaked by the police at Masjid Jamek by firing tear gas and chemical-laced-water. I was with the smallest group at Central Market and were having a face-off with the FRU at the bridge next to the Bar Council building. We then routed through a side road next to Bank Pertanian (if I'm not mistaken), averting a possible clash.

All the way from there to the Istana rain was pouring lightly. PAS volunteers (Unit Amal...they were heroes of the day as they stood their ground protecting people as well as even clean up the roads after we dispersed!) in clearly identified maroon uniforms were along the entire path to ensure traffic was disrupted as minimum as possible, and marchers are able to walk in a continuous stream. Thousands stream into the main road in front of the main gates of the Istana where the delegation was already waiting. Anwar Ibrahim had to hitch a ride on a bike to arrive due to the stopping of traffic on both directions. For the first time since 1998 when I saw Merdeka Square filled with a sea of people, I saw thousands and thousands of citizens wearing yellow, carrying ballons and the national flag, sitting in and peacefully shouting "Daulat Tuanku!" and such. It was close to 4.15pm when the delegation consisting of Anwar, Hadi Awang, Kit Siang, and Guan Eng managed to hand over the petition to the Agong's secretary at the gate. The original members of the delegation was changed in the last minute, I think, due to logistical issues brought about by the heavy presence of the police. They even have 2 helicopters hovering above us for some 10 minutes before flying round and round above us. A total waste of precious aviation fuel paid for by taxpayers.

At the end, the crowd marched back to the Masjid Negara and we dispersed. Rain has stopped by then (spots of it still occur once in a while). Along the way I had to update a few SMS queries. On the way back at around 5pm the Federal Highway was still jammed up no thanks to the police who has considered it of utmost priority to screen each and every vehicle that plies that road instead of solving growing crimes of robbery, murder, rape, and thefts. Once back I managed to find out exactly what had happened at Masjid Jamek through Al Jazeera news channel (one of their journalists have to suffer from the tear gas and chemical-laced-water). Central Market was total peace compared to what had happened there, and both locations were only a few hundred meters apart. The news at 9pm had more footage. Find your news from foreign wires, or the various blogs and online portals. There have been a complete blackout on the mainstream media, so don't expect to read, hear, or see anything about the rally in those traditional news sources.

Will Malaysia change for the better? Will the Agong act on our petition? I do not know. But at least I know that today, some 40,000 of my fellow concerned citizens and myself have felt it important enough to spend our Saturday risking a little bit of our wellbeing (at press time some 20 fellow marchers have been arrested earlier from Masjid Jamek, and currently held at the Pudu police station) and walk our talk. At least I know that when I face my daughter in the years to come, I can tell her that her dad had done all he could to ensure a better Malaysia for her and her friends.

We have talked enough. We have tell enough. We have cajoled enough. It's time we act. It's time we march. It's time we put our foot down and say enough is enough!

Hidup Rakyat! Hidup Malaysia! Daulat Tuanku!