All hail the Black Parade

Last night, Kelana Jaya witnessed a powerful display of people power. Dressed in black, they came to mourn the death of democracy.

PETALING JAYA: It died over the weekend and last night was the funeral. Dressed in black, tens of thousands braved the rain and nightmarish traffic gridlock to mourn over their loss.

The deceased, according to the opposition, was democracy in Malaysia. Pakatan Rakyat claimed that it was bludgeoned to death by Barisan Nasional and the Election Commission.

While some 100,000 packed the Kelana Jaya stadium to the point that even the grass on the field was no longer visible, tens of thousands more huddled outside, with some risking life and limb to scale over the walls and fence for a better view.

Thousands also marched along the Damansara-Puchong Highway while countless more were caught in the traffic jam that stretched right up to the Sunway toll, several kilometres away.

Along the highway, motorists turned off their engines, alighted from their vehicles and joined in the fanfare, waving and shouting words of encouragement to those clad in black.

Closer to the stadium, a cacophony of horns and vuvuzelas reverberated in the night. Youths on motorcycles rode past with opposition flags, shouting “Najib Bangla and Bangla Nasional”.

The mood in the stadium was nothing short of electric, and to those who were there, it was Anwar, and not Najib, it was Pakatan and not BN, who were the rightful prime minister and government.

Having won the 13th general election due to the first-past-the post system, Najib it seems rules the physical Malaysia but Anwar, whose coalition bagged the most votes, rules the hearts of the people.

It was apparent that the momentum for change had grown bigger than the political leaders, even Anwar himself. It now belonged to the people.

‘Can BN do this?’
Retired schoolteacher V Tharma, 64, who was there with his daughter, wondered if BN could muster the same kind of turnout for its events.

“Who would walk for miles in the rain to see [Prime Minister] Najib [Tun Razak]? If you don’t give them money, free food and transport or bring down actresses from India, nobody would turn up for BN functions. But this is different. The people are here because they want to be here.

“I wish my generation had done this decades before… who knows things would have been different now,” he said with a tinge of regret.

And when Tharma suggested that the BN government should relinquish power following this show of people power, his daughter, Previna, burst out laughing.

“That would never happen. These fellows are too thick-skinned,” said the doctor.

Tan Kim Hock, a 38-year-old mechanic from Banting, was proud to see Malaysians of all races present at the event.

“I have sung the national anthem so many times before… but this is the first time that I sung it as a Malaysian and not as a Chinese living in Malaysia,” added the father of two, while in the background a Chinese youth carried a placard which read, “Bukan anti-Melayu, bukan anti-Islam, cuma anti-Rasuah”.

Mohd Khairil and his fiancee, both of whom brandished DAP flags, had come from Seremban to show their support.

“I was disgusted with the Utusan Malaysia report… I have so many Chinese and Indian friends. We should not let people with sinister intentions divide us. We stand as one nation.

“Look around you, we are Malaysians…there is no race here…just people who want justice,” said the businessman, who appeared choked with emotion.

Ambiga: It was unbelievable
Meanwhile, Bersih co-chairperson S Ambiga, who was also present, said the event had left her speechless.

“I thought Bersih 3 was stunning…. this was unbelievable,” she told FMT.

“As I was driving in, I saw lines and lines of people walking towards the stadium… I had to walk as well… It was the dignity of the people, moving in harmony, for a single purpose…,” she added.

Ambiga said that when she saw the crowd at the stadium, people who had come in droves on such short notice, it overwhelmed her.

“People were stuck in massive traffic jams but nobody complained… they honked in support. The spontaneous camaraderie was unbelievable,” she added.

Ambiga recalled that as she was leaving the stadium, a Malay youth shouted “I am Malay and I support DAP”, and everyone started laughing and patting him on the back.

“He was thumbing his nose at racism and the frontpage of Utusan… the paradox is that instead of dividing us, this issue has brought us together. Yesterday, is the Malaysia I envisage. And I wish our leaders could see this side of Malaysia,” she said.

“If they thought this was a knockout punch for some people, it is not. The people see it differently and in my view, on polling day, it was the rakyat who did everything in their power to protect the sanctity of their election… it would be silly to expect them to be silent,” she added.

True indeed. Last night was a display of people power, and to quote the words of one participant sporting a mask synonymous with the V for Vendetta movie, “Remember, remember, the 8th of May.”