Many expected that it the turnout for the much-anticipated rally would be a fraction of the target that was earlier aimed for, due to the 'scare-tactics' used by our famed 'gangsters in uniforms'. They set up road-blocks, not only in and around KL, but also places like the NKVE toll in Klang, parts of Shah Alam, and the Federal Highway was no use mentioning. I think many know what happened during the rally, so I'll not bother going into it. The post-mortem.
Najib, the premier, said that he was pleased with people who did not attend the rally, as and hoped that Malaysians learn a lesson from this. Excuse me, but Mr Najib, you should learn, and learn hard from this. Allowing the country to be run like a police-state on July 9th is mediocre to say the least. Najib also lied when he earlier said that he would allow Bersih to hold its rally in a stadium. I'm not sure whether they applied but judging by the reports, the IGP said NO TO STADIUM MERDEKA. The crowd which gathered yesterday would have filled the stadium without any problems, but the powers that be said that such an event would tarnish the image of the Stadium. Give me a break, these guys really need to learn how to joke, because they suck at it.
Let's look at Bersih 1.0 (the first rally which was held in 2007). This event, coupled with the now infamous Hindraf, were the catalysts towards the outcome of the March 2008 General Elections. We all know what happened, as Bee-end lost its 2/3 majority. The actions by the authorities that day were very much alike, with the use of water cannons, tear gas and brute force as the world watched in disbelief. Four months later, the election was held, and BN were in for a shock.
Now, with this rally looking to be a like a success, though there are still tonnes of work to be done, will BN make the same mistake and call for a GE within the next 4-6 months, or will they wait for another 8 months or so to gather momentum on their side, and try their best to clean their tarnished image (it is looking like a mountain of a task at the moment). All the policies he has introduced will now be forgotten for the time being at least, and the public will wait on a response from the government. I can't help but ask the question as to what will happen if BN indeed lose the elections, will the 'thugs in uniforms' take over like they did yesterday? Najib and co have already come out with statements saying that they will defend Putrajaya with their lives, so everyone can use the power of their imaginations and who knows what will happen.
There were members of society who taught that this rally was a joke, putting their support behind the Government, saying that this wasn't the right way to proceed and so on. TO those people, I suggest who wake up and take notice. Stop living in blindness and make a change for once. There's no use supporting this government if this is the way they plan to behave. Give the opposition a chance, if they fail, then we'll change the government again. As citizens of Malaysia, we have the right to do so, if we still believe in democracy. The time will come in the 13th GE. Interesting times ahead.
