Nurul tells M'sians to be brave, national laureate calls on writers to take a stand

National laureate A Samad Said has called on Malaysian writers and intellectuals to take a stand on the "evil" that was pervading the country, refering to Prime Minister Najib Razak's government which has launched a harsh crackdown against civil society members as they prepared for a free and fair elections rally scheduled for July 9.

Supporting his call was Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah, who also urged Malaysians to be brave in the dark days ahead as the ruling elite in UMNO make their last sstab to extend their political hegemony and safeguard the trillions of ringgit they have stolen from their country over the years.

"Writers seldom take a stand. Most of them are 'carma' (or seeking to make a profit) and are always prepared to not take a stand. This has caused all the evil to grow and spread tremendously," Samad was reported as saying.

"For the mainstream media, Bersih is dirty. I'm also surprised, why these experienced pressmen who have won awards here and there, can smear Bersih. I know they are from the 'carma' group. Fortunately there is still a small number of writers who dare to take a stand, who know that Bersih is pure,"

We are prepared

Indeed, not only political leaders but also writers and editors from the opposition side of the fence are bracing to called in by the authorities in a near copy-cat move to the 1987 Operations Lalang crackdown. Ops Lalang had been launched by former premier Mahathir Mohamad in 1987 to prolong his rule. Mahathir controlled Malaysia from 1981 to 2003, and in 1987, it was Najib who helped create the excuse Mahathir needed to order the arrests and detentions of more than a hundred political rivals, writers and activists.

However, Ops Lalang revisited is a step that has long been anticipated. Even in the final days of the Badawi administration, there was speculation the then Home minister, Syed Hamid Albar, wanted to trigger an Ops Lalang 2.0, and after that, bouts of such rumours have surfaced now and then.

Such a face-off between the BN government and the people is surely an Armageddon that has been in the works since the May 13, 1969 racial riots, which were merely a mask for a group of political opportunists to take control of UMNO and Malaysia.

Nonetheless, instead of fear and trepidation, there is now more the sense of, 'Let's get done and over with, because enough is enough. Why should Malaysians suffer such pillage and tyranny anymore?'

It was against such a backdrop of sentiment that Nurul, the 32-year old daughter of Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, called on Malaysians to stay the course.

"Let's join the rally that cannot be named, which will be held one day after our prime minister leaves for Europe," she told the crowd at the Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall on Saturday night.

Ushering in a new era

The crowd had come to hear her, Samad and a distinguished panel speak at the launching of 'Even My Pen Has A Stand' , a cartoon book by the popular Zunar.

In the past week, more than 100 people have been arrested for activities related to the Bersih rally slated for July 9. Remanded under the oppressive Emergency Ordinance Act were PSM MP for Sungai Siput Michael Jeyakumar and 5 other party members. The rally too has been outlawed.

But despite the fire and brimstone, the impact has been muted because Bersih has taken on a life of its own. As Bersih chief Ambiga Sreenevasan put it, Bersih is now the people of Malaysia and Malaysians will decide for themselves whether they wish to be 'allowed' to march or not.

More likely than not the people will attend Bersih on July 9 - ban or ban. This is the mood of 2011 - a very different vintage from 1987.

And because of this, civil society, religious leaders, intellectuals, and writers should heed Samad's call and speak up. Their society is coming of age and they should be proud to be called on to help usher in the new era.

- Malaysia Chronicle