Of BERSIH & Cleanliness

The name, appeals.  The purpose, righteous.  The demands, logical.  So why the big fuss?  It's the case of being haunted by one's own deeds.  The fear of the fearing.  The guilt of the guilty.  You put the demons out to haunt your enemy, but you turned out to be your very own enemy.  The paradox of the situation, your very own demon is haunting and hunting you down.  You face the music, your very own melody but not sweet to the ear neither is it pleasing to the mind.  The need to ride the turmoil of your own creation.  Pak Samad has put it very nicely:

Ungun – Bersih

Semakin lara kita didera bara -

kita laungkan juga pesan merdeka:
Demokrasi sebenderang mentari
sehasrat hajat semurni harga diri.

Lama resah kita - demokrasi luka;
lama duka kita - demokrasi lara.
Demokrasi yang angkuh, kita cemuhi;
suara bebas yang utuh, kita idami!

Dua abad lalu Sam Adams berseru:
(di Boston dijirus teh ke laut biru):
Tak diperlu gempita sorak yang gebu,
diperlu hanya unggun api yang syahdu.

Kini menyalalah unggun sakti itu;
kini merebaklah nyala unggun itu.

A Samad Said

Jun 28, 2011, Malaysiakini

And another;

Peludah Warna

Kuasa gusar kini menggelegak murka;
warna kuning diisytihar racun terbisa.
Diragutnya baju-T segeram tenaga
dan diumum itulah busana bahaya.

Tapi, kita jahit semula perca kain,
menjadikannya panji terindah dan tulen.
Warna kuning yang teramat tenang dan syahdu
kita kembalikan damai ke dalam qalbu.

Kini cahaya mentari mungkin diramas
dan sinar kuningnya juga mungkin dicantas.
Memanglah mereka kini peludah warna
sedang menghimpun lendir kahak sebanyaknya.

Kerana nikmat amat lama berkuasa,
kuasa pun seolah menjadi hartanya.

A Samad Said

8 Jul 2011, Malaysiakini

Do I spy Dato' Dr. Toh Kin Woon with Pak Samad here?  A principled fighter.  Has been one good teacher to us all.  Glad to know you are OK Sir.

The police showing their might.  They are under directives from....

The people's asking....why the denial is beyond comprehension.

The people coming in droves.  There is no stopping the tide of change, especially when what is being asked is for a clean govenment and governance.  The sum total is sure not 6,000 as reported by the mainstream media.

For the love of Malaysia Tercinta!

With all the police blockage around the city, how did this 4-wheeler manage to be in the midst of all?  Sure defies logic.

Taken for a stroll (away from the tear gas and water cannon).

The alternative ride, a choiced pick after most public rides to the city are shut down.

Leaders with a cause, truely 1Malaysia.

For all the fuss, Bersih 2.0 simple demands are:

A repeat of Bersih 1.0 demands;

1. Use of indelible ink

2. Cleaning up of the registered voters' roll

3. Abolishing postal votes

4. Giving the opposition parties access to the governement-controlled print and broadcast media

New additional demands with Bersih 2.0;

5. Minimum 21 days campaigning period

6. Strengthening public institutions

7. Stopping dirty politics (am yet to see clean politics)

8. Stopping corruption

Are those too much to ask for?  I rest my case.

A shot from the house balcony in Sg. Ramal Dalam.  See how jam-packed the road is towards KL.  The police roadblock is about 500 m ahead.  Took me half an-hour to loop back to the house after office yesterday.