I refer to the calls of particular government leaders and Indian representatives who are discouraging the Indian community not to join the Bersih 5 peaceful assembly this Saturday 19th November 2016 in Kuala Lumpur.
It disgusts me that the likes of people like these are taking this opportunity to prove their servitude to Prime Minister Najib’s administration by suggesting that the rise of the Red Shirts is because of the yellow shirts, synonymous with BERSIH and that the Indian community stand to not gain anything from this rally. These statements reek of idiocy and ignorance for what is granted in the supreme law of the land, the Federal Constitution.
The right to assemble is protected in the Federal Constitution under Article 10 (a) and this peaceful BERSIH 5 assembly neither legitimises violent protests nor has made any threats of violence against anyone or any institutions.
Self-proclaimed Indian leaders from MIC and Makkal Sakthi and government spokespersons alike should stop their charades in misleading the community, particularly the Indian community with twisted propagandist statements and instead encourage the many ethnic groups, including the minority Indians, who have been marginalised, oppressed and discriminated by a BN government in power for 59 years, to join in a peaceful rally to call for a more just, transparent and accountable government in Malaysia.
Why shouldn’t Indians join in a peaceful protest when our brothers and sisters of different ethnicities, like the Malays, Chinese, Sikhs, Ibans, Kadazans, Dayaks and Orang Asli have put the interest of their nation above themselves to walk shoulder-to-shoulder to call for justice, democracy, freedom, equality and righteousness. Why must Indians be left behind and in the dark unless this is what these leaders really want.
BERSIH 5 demands for clean, free and fair elections, for a reformed, clean, transparent government, strengthening parliamentary democracy, the right to dissent and freedom of speech and empowering Sabah and Sarawak.
Perhaps they have forgotten what happened in 2007. I quote my friend Kavilan Nakaswaram that the greatest irony of the day is that “in November 2007, an estimated 30,000 Malaysian Indians took to the streets protesting the discriminatory policies of the Malaysian government. Today, Makkal Sakthi Party, a descendant of that rally, is protesting BERSIH’s rally which is demanding for clean and fair elections.
After 4 BERSIH rallies you can ask, what have we achieved so far and why should we join the fifth?
The use of indelible ink to prevent multiple voting, Malaysians overseas can vote at their embassies or their high commissions instead of flying back to vote, SPR was under public scrutiny and had to periodically clean up their electoral rolls, Datuk Ambiga who was the then BERSIH Chairperson was granted an audience to the Agong to submit the people’s demands.
All these changes took place because Malaysians from all races, religion and gender spoke in one united, powerful voice and rocked the government enough for these changes to take place after decades of a “government knows best” attitude.
Change does not happen in a blink of an eye or in a heartbeat. Sometimes, change takes years, sometimes even after a generation, sometimes after many general elections. But it is possible if we speak in one voice.
I ask all Malaysians, particularly Malaysian Indians to embrace this spark, this movement, this coming of a people to demand and claim their beloved country back from the claws of tyranny, injustice, inequality and corruption alongside our Malay, Chinese, Sikh, Kadazan, Iban, Dayak and Orang Asli Malaysian brothers and sisters.
It is a moral obligation and a civic responsibility to speak up without fear or favour and protest a great injustice to our nation so our children and their children know that we made the right decisions for them so that they can hold their heads up high as Malaysian children living the Malaysian Malaysia dream.