The Bersih that wasn’t

MAY 2 — I’ve been to rallies before, as a student and Malaysian citizen but Bersih 3.0 was my first Bersih event.

Ten hours after Bersih 3.0, I am left grasping for ideas: how would I describe Bersih? Friends called, texted, was it dangerous? Weren’t you scared?

I think people were expecting it to be like "Die Hard", with pyrotechnics blasting the city. Yes, there were teargas and water cannons. Yes, there were helicopters. But I will have to disagree with friends and Malaysians who liken Bersih 3.0 to Egypt, Syria and Occupy Wall Street.

As Mrs Invisible on Twitter said, “Mrs Invisible ‏ @jasmeenz  And you call yourselves revolutionaries? Lps rally bole gelak2 minum kopi. Look at ur comrades in Egypt, Syria, Libya.. Makan peluru!”

Aside from the comic capers my friends got up to – one was on a detox regimen and kept dashing to the loo, and then we lost one in a McDonald’s toilet and he resurfaced six hours later with ice cream sundaes – and learning that toothpaste is to be put BENEATH the eyes and not ON them (yours truly and friends were tear gassed, and in her haste, put toothpaste on her eyes. Toothpaste pain versus teargas? Darlie wins), Bersih 3.0 was an insight on human behaviour.

What hasn't been said about Bersih? My account cannot be considered as important — while we were tear gassed, we did not experience violence. We saw all that on Youtube, Facebook, and Twitter when we went home.

The one resounding comment among friends was that they felt that the event had been hijacked by politicians. It was supposed to be their rally, a non-partisan one, demanding clean and fair elections.

Instead, at least from where my friends and I were, we were told to sit down when it was time to "Duduk Bantah" and each time a politician passed through, guarded by PAS’s Unit Amal, we had to stand up. I certainly didn’t come to the rally to do squats; and after cheering one too many politicians, we were fed up.

Reading Twitter feeds, friends’ Facebook postings — Bersih 3.0 was a highly emotional affair. Much has been made of police violence towards the media and civilians. By the same token, the police did what they were ordered to do. They were following instructions.

Accounts of racist slurs — when you deal with a mob, you just don’t think. Also, among the protestors and supporters of Bersih, there could have been agent provocateurs.  Who is to know? Conspiracy theories abound, and so does anger.

The supporters, made up of activists, concerned Malaysians, "rally tourists", journalists, were well-behaved. And what a pity that their passion and dedication were ruined by a bunch of yobs.

A former journalist, Asohan Aryaduray, wrote in his Facebook page: “Except that we were not *that* united. Elements in the crowd were confusing the issue. By the time we had reached Masjid Jamek, there were pockets of people shouting ‘F*** Lynas,’ ‘Hancur BN’ and that late 1990s terminally ill horse, ‘Reformasi’. Many genuine Bersih supporters shook their heads quietly at that, but nobody was going to gainsay another’s right to freedom of expression, I guess.”

“So many felt betrayed and angry. Even me.

“But now I see videos of protestors breaking down the barriers and committing acts of violence. And yes, while the police showed more restraint this time, they were behind some of these as well. Al-Jazeera journalists reported via Skype that their equipment was smashed by policemen to prevent them recording some of these acts of violence.

“Despite suffering from the teargas effects, I myself have not the spirit to summon the moral indignation I would like to have, because although they should have done so lawfully, I cannot blame the police for taking action against violent protestors.”

What can we Malaysians expect post April 28, 2012? With a video circulating showing that Anwar Ibrahim and Azmin Ali had ordered the Dataran breach, this does not bode well for Pakatan and the rakyat. This is a massive public relations disaster.

The average Malaysian, like me, can only tear her hair out. And now, we are told that the duo were signalling to the police. What is this — Tonto and the Lone Ranger? As I said on Twitter, all this resembled a Hindustani film. Throw in a tree and a pair of sarees, and we'll have a great sandiwara.

I am not dismissing the violence that was demonstrated towards the media and civilians who were arrested. I do not agree with violence, full stop. But much as we may be disgusted and angered by it all, we must realise that this (unfortunately) this is part and parcel of rallies and fighting for a cause. You want to turun padang, you will have to accept the fact that violence may and will happen.

I just wish that this whole event had not become the mess that it is now. At the end of the day, we Malaysians have to bear the brunt of the stick.

*The views expressed here are the personal views of the columnist.