Okay, WOW. It was a bit more intense (for lack of a better word haha) than the 'parties' I'm used to, but what an experience my first political rally was!
If I was asked what struck me most, I'd probably mention 5 things.
Firstly, the fact that practically 95% of the people there were male. And there were a LOT of people, definitely more than a thousand. I felt slightly out of place!
Secondly, the atmosphere. We parked at the main road and walked inside. Along the street there were people cheering and waving the PKR flag, and even stalls set up like a pasar malam! There was this happy buzz in the air and it totally felt like a carnival! It was hard to feel scared even when we walked by a big group of uniformed men (they sort of looked like police), and one of the men even smiled at me when he heard me tell my dad that everything was 'SO COOL!' :)
Thirdly, courtesy. The crowd was predominantly Malay (even though it was in a Chinese community area), but everyone treated everyone else with respect; passing out sheets of newspaper so we could sit on the ground while listening to the speeches, and offering up seats to the older folks and helping the ones on the ground get to their feet. No racism, no segregation -- just a bunch of people interested in hearing what these politicians advocating for change in our country had to say. Also when the whole ceramah/talk ended, almost everyone gathered up the newspapers they'd paved the ground with!
The fourth thing that stood out to me were the jokes. These people giving speeches were really FUNNY! And it wasn't the 'let me crack a joke just in case I'm losing your attention' sort of lame joke, their jokes were effortless and flowed smoothly with their speeches. It was sort of like watching a comedy in the cinema I guess -- the jokes always seem extra funny when everyone gets it and laughs together :)
Last but not least -- cigarette smoke. Yes, slightly strange haha. It's hard to describe, but sitting there in that clearing among so many people (there must've been thousands!) in the dark, listening to fiery speeches from passionate people wanting to change the country, with the moon and stars up above, a soft night breeze and seeing curls of cigarette smoke trailing upwards from the crowd... you can't help but FEEL something, you know?
I won't bore you by describing everything in excruciating detail (a bit late for that haha!), but I just thought I'd give some loosely translated quotes (forgive my rusty BM) that struck me the most:
***
Anwar Ibrahim:
I'm not out to destroy the special position of the Malays. No way. But what I DO know is that the rights of the Chinese, the Indians, the Kadazans, the Ibans... basic human rights HAVE to be upheld. The Malays hurt, the Indians hurt, the Chinese hurt, we are all humans! UMNO doesn't get this. UMNO has deviated from what is right. Corruption, bribery, injustice... we as Malaysians CANNOT stand for any of this.
People tell me, 'Anwar, you've been beaten -- remember that. Don't let there be a day where when you're in power, you forget and turn your back on the people.' I've been shunned. I've experienced extreme poverty. I've been beaten, i've been hospitalized. I've experienced all this, and so I understand. I can sympathize with all the hardships the Rakyat are going through.
It's our money, this is our country, our kids go to school here... we have to change -- this is what we can do! Indonesia has done it, the Phillipines have done it, why can't Malaysia do it?!
One time while my wife and I were campaigning, we walked by a group of youths wearing Barisan Nasional t-shirts. They greeted me, I responded, and was about to leave. 'Look at us sir!' they said. Inside I thought, 'aw shucks what do these kids want'. Then all of them lifted up their shirts. Under their BN shirts were shirts printed with my picture. I smiled, and they said 'UMNO paid us RM 10 to wear this, but don't worry -- the heart to vote, how we TRULY feel, is inside us.' These young people were smart. We are servants of God, not servants of money, not servants of people, and definitely not servants of UMNO!
We have to be brave, brave enough to make a change.
***
Listening to all these things being said, it's hard not to get fired up and passionate about trying to save Malaysia. It's so easy for us to try and stay neutral, sit on the fence and let other people fight our battles for us; so easy to want to avoid facing any hardships, so easy to not make a stand. Still, looking at these people and the things they've given up and sacrificed, the things they've had to suffer to try and get our country back on the right track -- is it too much to ask that we the Rakyat do our part as well? Is it too much to ask that we be brave enough to stand up against evil and injustice and instead vote for change, vote for what is right?
Some people say that Anwar gives a good speech, and that is very true. I saw and heard him firsthand, and I can tell you that he is eloquent, he is reasonable, and he knows how to handle a crowd. Those same people say that is all he can do though, that he is just all talk and no substance. And you know what? He may end up disappointing us. Certainly he isn't infallible, and we cannot expect that he will never ever stumble and fall. But to me, in the end nothing is more eloquent than the truth, and there is truth in what he says. Our leaders may fail us, but the message that we are trying to uphold will always remain the same.
Who knows when the next general elections will be held, and only God knows what the outcome will be for our country; what I do know however, is that when the time comes it will be up to US to decide -- whether we are brave enough to hold firm to our ideals and vote for what we feel is right and fair and just, or whether we allow ourselves to be bought over by greed and money.
Staying neutral is not an option anymore -- it is time for the Rakyat to make a stand and choose what path we want to take, what kind of future we want for our children and the generations to come. I can only hope and pray with all my heart that we make the right choice.
*End*
P.S. on a slightly lighter note, I fully intend to be more well prepared at the next rally I attend -- I shall bring a large stack of newspapers, drinking water and definitely a gas mask ;)
