About 9 months ago on the 9th of July 2011, I attended Bersih 2.0. Boy did time fly and suddenly its time for 3.0. This time I decided that I would attend wearing the yellow Bersih shirt. Unlike last year where I went solo, I had 6 other companions with me. And so begins our day to join thousands of other citizens in a peaceful protest calling for fairer and cleaner elections.
April 28th 2012.
After meeting up at a nearby mamak stall, we decided the best way to get to Dataran Merdeka would be to take the commuter from Seputeh to Brickfields and walk from there. We boarded the train at 7am and reached KL Sentral around 10 minutes later. While making our way on foot to Dataran, we started to see heavy police presence and fellow countrymen trying to make their way to Dataran as well. We stopped awhile at Masjid Negara for a quick break. From there we continued on the main road the Dataran but found the way barricaded and guarded by the police. We backtracked abit and headed towards the Pos Malaysia building hoping to find a way through. As we approached the post office, we saw that the way was blocked as well, by a police line and several police personnel. It was there and then we met a fellow protester and asked him "Boleh lalu ke? (Do you think we can go thru?)". He just smiled and said "Boleh! (Of course!) Cuba kita jalan ramai-ramai (Try walking together in a big group)" and he led the way. Down to the basement parking we went and through it we emerged at Pasar Seni, one of the designated assembling areas for protesters to gather.
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| Beautiful sunrise at the KTM station |
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| These 2 people were the ones that led us through the post office to Pasar Seni |
We continued further up to Jalan Makhamah Persekutuan and saw a huge crowd of protesters, both Bersih and the students that were protesting for free education. We saw many with the Guy Fawkes mask holding up placards posing for pictures with others right next to their tents. Slightly further up we encountered the first heavy blockade. Heavy as in "razor-wire, road barricades and huge police presence" heavy preventing us from reaching Dataran. I saw that the Bersih supporters took the liberty to "decorate" the blockade. We stopped there for a moment to soak in the atmosphere and snap a few quick shots before taking a detour to Masjid Jamek.
We headed through an alley next to the Loke Yew building towards Masjid Jamek. Upon arrival, there were literally thousands of fellow protesters filling up the streets, milling about and chanting together. The atmosphere was "festival" like, as if we were there to celebrate instead of protesting. Now do not misinterpret "celebrate" with causing rampant chaos and havoc. That was not on our minds. "Celebrate" as in celebrating the gathering of thousands in solidarity, the thousands of multi-ethnic citizens gathered for 1 cause. It is abit difficult to describe the atmosphere in words. Everywhere I turned there were different groups. Some sitting, some standing, some holding banners and placards, some riding bicycles in a group, some with entire families accompanying them, some getting interviewed by the press and some waving their native state flags. This goes to show that regardless of age, gender, race, religion, distance and whatever else the government THINKS is hampering true unity, all were gathered here for 1 true cause that concerns all Malaysians.
WHERE IS YOUR 1 MALAYSIA NOW, NAJIB?
When we reached to the entrance of Dataran at Jalan Raja Laut, it was heavily blockaded by law enforcement units and thousands of protesters already sitting right in front of the blockade. Several individuals gave short speeches and leading the crowd in chants. As me and my companions were seated a SMM representative was hoisted up with a mic and a portable speaker asking everyone on the left and right side of Jalan Raja Laut to sit in and fill up the middle. A few minutes later the same person announced "Saya baru mendapat berita bahawa saudara-saudara kita di kawasan Bricksfields dan Pasar Seni telah merempuh halangan polis dan tengah jalan ke Dataran" (I have just gotten news that our fellow brothers and sisters in Bricksfields and Pasar Seni have breached the police blockades and are making their way here to Dataran) prompting the massive crowd to cheer with arms and voices raised high. After siting under the blistering heat for a while more, we walked around to look at other places and to get ourselves some drinks. Heck I bet those open stalls were making a huge profit from this Bersih rally.
As more and more key figures appeared some of us went back to the main crowd and some of us went to take a rest in a shaded area. I was in the main crowd for sometime before deciding to take a break with the rest of my companions. Suddenly something happened that brought every single person to their feet. The arrival of Ambiga and Anwar. I couldn't really hear their speech as they were quite a distance away, but suddenly there were shouts of "Rempuh! rempuh!" (breakthru! breakthru!) and the crowd surged forward into Dataran. And that was when the shitstorm started.
Of the other 6 that arrived with me, only one of them was with me at that particular moment as I got in closer for want of a better shot. Another 2 of companions were slightly further upfront than where I was. The other 3 were quite a distance behind us resting. As me and my friend moved in closer, I heard a familiar sound. The one sound I had hoped not to hear at all, one which precedes chaos. the sound of tear gas being fired. Before it even hit the crowd I turned around and said "Run! They've shot the gas! Run!" after retreating a considerable distance, the FRU from the left of me started firing gas as well. To my right there were people running into Masjid Jamek and Jalan Raja Laut. To my left the gas canisters landed a few feet away. To my back was Dataran where the first of the canisters were still emitting smoke. To my front was the DBKL building surrounded by road barriers. As I made my way towards the DBKL building, people were kicking down the barriers, providing a bigger escape route for all. A sea of bodies were pushing me and my buddy towards the staircase up into the walkway of the DBKL building. Imagine a staircase about 30 feet wide filtering into a 4 foot walkway and you see people already on the floor losing consciousness knocking on the glass doors of the DBKL building asking for shelter. And the DBKL officers just stood on the other side of the glass, arms folded, smiling and laughing at our predicament. Yes I saw all of that. I was fueled with rage at that instant but I could barely stay upright let alone do anything about it.
At that moment the surge of the crowd separated me from my buddy. I decided to run and prayed that I would meet him further up later. During all of this, the FRU kept on moving forward and firing tear gas, so I was constantly washed over by clouds of gas. About a 100 meters from where I lost my friend, my body started shuddering and I bent over in a mad fight to stay conscious. Though I did stay conscious, my body would no longer oblige my commands and I stood bent over there feeling my last reserves of sane and coherent thoughts vanishing along with my sight as I started to drop and embrace the darkness enveloping everything. Yet in the back of my mind my priority was the safety of my camera, I think it was the realization the I was still holding on to my camera that kept me awake just a few seconds longer, even though I was already on the floor . Those precious few seconds were what I needed. As I lay there, a kind soul came and kicked over a road barrier which was about half a feet away from my head. Lo and behold, as he unscrewed the cap, water came rushing out of the top of the barrier. Moving purely with my sense of self-preservation alone, I dragged myself to the gushing water and lay there with my face in it.
What happened next is a bit hard to describe and even more so hard to believe. It was as if my brain and body received a jumpstart. Every system in my being is rebooted instantly. It felt like a total revival. As I stood up and person standing right infront of me gave me a handful of salt and told me to eat it and keep on running. That I did without hesitation, not wanting to be stuck in that pitiful condition ever again. As I reached clear air, I stopped to catch my breath and wipe my eyes. While gathering my thoughts I looked up and saw 3 of my companions that were behind me when the shitstorm started about 20 meters ahead of me. I ran towards them shouting "I lost K!(the friend that was with me) I don't know where he is. I'm afraid that he's passed out". According to JY (one of the 3) I looked 3 quarters dead, eyes and face red, running haphazardly towards them shouting that I've lost one of our friends scared the shit outta him. Without waiting, we ran back into the gas to search for K all the while kept getting pushed back by the constant gas barrage by the FRU, but we persisted and finally God favored us with a wind that blew the gas back towards the FRU. We searched for K heading back very, very, very near ground zero and risking arrest. But I told them this was the place where I lost him, and if he isn't here he is probably somewhere else. We stopped and asked the medical team whether they had seen someone with K's description. He said no but we could wait there and see if they bring in anyone else that could be K. To hell with waiting, the FRU were still advancing and firing. Now I bet most of you were wondering why didn't we just use our bloody phones. Trust me all of us did. Our signals were jammed and no calls could be made.
After making our way further up the road, JY regained use of his phone and called L. L told us that K has joined him and A. A huge breathe of relief. Me and JY headed towards the rendezvous point to meetup with the rest of our companions. Once there and everyone was gathered, the 7 of us started heading off again because the FRU were being relentless, still advancing and firing on UNARMED citizens. We walked, ran, jogged quite a distance, many detours were made because we were constantly chased by the FRU from Dataran and closed in by another FRU unit coming in from another route. Its as if these animals have the intention to kill us. If Bersih 2.0 was chaos, then "chaos" would be an understatement for 3.0. After running to Bukit Nanas we stopped to recuperate and I took portraits of everyone of us there. After resting we headed towards the monorail station to get back to KL Sentral and from there a cab back home. But I have to say, I sweated more on the packed monorail than I did the entire Bersih rally. Plus a scene where K lost his cool on the monorail because of the reckless pushing, and he rained spittle down on commuters around him as he shouted and raged at the uneducated people that didn't understand the meaning of "stop pushing" and "train is full". Once down at KL Sentral, all of us took cabs back to where the cars were parked and headed to a nearby stall for dinner , where we discussed what happened and reliving each individual story. After that it was home and rest.
Now I do agree that those who broke through the barrier has to come out and answer for what they did. I know it was done without malice towards the police, but more of wanting to liberate Dataran Merdeka but the fact is you guys broke a court order.
And the police, FRU and ESPECIALLY DBKL. If you got the balls to do what you did (its all over the internet) COME OUT AND OWN UP TO IT. Don't hide behind the skirts of your superiors with your shit stained panties all in a bunch. You attacked, harmed and terrorized unarmed citizens and JOURNALISTS. You can say "arahan dari atas" ( orders from above ) but now your superiors are not owning up as well saying they gave no such orders. And to the superiors, your time is coming up, the bell tolls for you. You will all answer to your crimes after GE 13 is said and done. This didn't have to be ugly. You made it ugly.
Alot that has transpired is left open for speculation such as : -
-Undercover cops in the Bersih crowd
-FRU will mobilize regardless provoked or not (lets be real. After what we've seen, the FRU only needs the slightest of reasons to start firing)
-Bersih was hijacked by the opposition
and many more. I would say all of these speculations are open for debate and are entirely possible but we each have our own views and opinions on these matters. If any of you would like to discuss or voice out your views and opinions, feel free to leave a comment.
But 1 thing I'll say that definitely isn't true is that this was a riot. NO if this was a riot we wouldn't be so stupid as to attend unarmed. Looting and burning would have happened if this was a riot. Casualties would be everywhere if this was a riot. Your useless barricades wouldn't even stand 5 seconds if this was a riot. We attended a protest. We attended unarmed. We did no damage to public property. Don't you dare blame us for what you did. Cowards.
All in all I hope this year more and more citizens realize that their voice is the true power of a democratic government and will stand up for their rights for free and fair elections and the next Bersih rally (if there is one) will show a bigger turnout.
-Hidup rakyat-
-Kent
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