Despite all the hurdles erected by the BN government, it has failed to upset the Bersih 2.0 applecart.
Today is July 9, 2011, the day that will always give prime minister Najib Tun Razak and his band of cronies goosebumps, for the simple reason that the rakyat is out in solidarity with election watchdog Bersih 2.0, their voices in unison repeatedly demanding that the Barisan Nasional government stop playing dirty at the polls.
The awakening of the ordinary Malaysian started in 2008 and which went on to become the turning point in the history of Malaysian politics. Today’s “Walk for Democracy” further reinforces the belief that the people no longer accept the BN’s crooked ways of claiming power during elections.
With the awakening, however, has come too the fear on the part of the BN of its future come the 13th general election.
With the awakening, however, has come too the fear on the part of the BN of its future come the 13th general election.
The unexpected defeat to the opposition in 2008 proved too much for BN, which until today is still kept busy with its “damage control” or more precisely propaganda measures, all aimed at snatching back whatever power the opposition is currently enjoying.
While BN under president Najib is going all out to foil any attempt to end its reign as the country’s powerhouse, the notion that the rakyat will always and unconditionally support BN has post-2008 turned into a myth.
The people are fed up with the rhetoric of the BN and the abuse of power displayed by Najib with regard to today’s rally. Reneging on his word to allow Bersih 2.0 the space to vent out its frustrations against the BN government, Najib abandoned all modicum of leadership and scooted off to meet the Pope in Vatican, using work as his lame excuse.
Najib also let the rakyat down when he turned bully and gave Bersih 2.0 the go-around in organising today’s rally. While Bersih 2.0 agreed to skip the streets and converge in an indoor environment, choosing the historical Stadium Merdeka as their venue, the authorities turned around and began revealing their true colours.
Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein declared Bersih 2.0 an illegal outfit and rationalised that the rally would be too. But after meeting the Yang di-Pertuan Agong who urged Bersih 2.0 to maintain peace and harmony, the latter respectfully decided to hold the rally indoor.
At one point, the police were even willing to expedite the permit to Bersih 2.0 but on the eve of the rally went back on its words, citing safety reasons.
Berish 2.0 speaks for the rakyat
It looks like Najib was not paying attention to what Bersih 2.0 chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan was saying all the while, about why the electoral system needs to be “cleaned up”. All that Najib understood was that the “Walk for Democracy” equalled to his losing power and authority, which was not what Bersih 2.0 was implying.
However, today, with thousands of people coming together to lend support to the cause Bersih 2.0 has been championing, it is proof that all the arm-twisting, lies and high-handed tactics used by Najib to crush the rally have only backfired, with public faith and trust in him and BN having shifted.
The many “letters to editors” to the online media condemning Najib’s move to tarnish the image of Bersih 2.0 and misusing his power to deny the rakyat their right to assemble in the public sphere reflect the frustration and disappointment the people are experiencing under the Najib regime.
The arrest of Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) activists including Sungai Siput MP Dr D Jeyakumar bears evidence to the abuse of power Najib conveniently indulged in. To re-arrest Jeyakumar and several others under the Emergency Ordinance 1969 using the excuse that they are “subversive” is also going to cost Najib dearly at the polls.
Against all odds, the rally happening today bears testimony to the determination of Bersih 2.0 to put an end to all forms of corruption and manipulation that have been regular features during elections.
The rally and the weeks leading to it have made it very clear that BN does not have what it takes to win at the polls, not when the criterion is playing a fair game.
Let the “Walk for Democracy” serve as a lesson to Najib, for his arrogance in deciding the fate of the country.
With so many obstacles created by Najib to prevent the rally from happening, none has worked as he had expected. The rakyat, in spite of the heavy police presence, decided to brave their way to the historical Stadium Merdeka, where together, the voices of worried and concerned Malaysians plead and urge the BN government to stop all dirty tricks at the polls, for the sake of a holistic future generation.
Najib has failed to upset the Bersih 2.0 applecart. The victory without a doubt belongs to Bersih 2.0.
As for Najib, he has to work harder and sincerely. His aristocracy pedigree, being the son of the country’s second prime minister Abdul Razak Hussein, is certainly no guarantee of Najib’s fate as the leader of a nation.
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