This is not the time to give up

No use lah, we protest also, all still the same. That was basically what several of my friends lamented when I posted about the 10th anniversary of Bersih 2.0 on Friday (July 9).

It was sad to read of such despair on my social media. And they were partly justified - what’s the point of pushing so hard for change when the politicians can just rip off their badges and slap on new ones like fake pasar malam bags?

But 2021 is very different from 2011. Today, everybody is talking about when the “blardy garmen” is going to fall. About whether the Sheraton Move betrayers are going to be betrayed by their own “friends” in the current Game of Toilet Thrones. Call it karma.

Compare this to ten years ago when it seemed impossible that the almighty BN could ever be toppled. What has caused this change?

I believe it’s because the people have awakened. We are now bolder, more outspoken, whether in person or online. People are no longer so scared to publicly criticise the powerful. But this has taken time to achieve. Empowerment is a long process, like preparing a banquet. It’s not just boiling a packet of instant noodles.

Bersih 2.0 was part of the recipe that showed how Malaysians of all races could come out on the streets - peacefully - to stand up for what was right. As we passed salt around to help each other deal with tear gas, we were marinating our minds in political participation.

Despite all the warnings from up above, people came out to say ‘no’ in 50,000 small ways to the proud patriarchs of Putrajaya. It didn’t have to be big and bold. A frail, elderly Aunty Bersih, walking alone for miles to attend the protest, was as powerful as ten machomen shouting slogans. They could try to suppress us, but we were like little prawns being fried, spattering painful drops of hot oil back against our political overlords.

Some of my urban middle-class friends really broke a psychological barrier that day - that they no longer needed to hide in a corner and just complain quietly. Instead, our voices also counted as citizens of this blessed land.

And I remember how people became creative to sidestep the petty rules. The arrogant declared that they would stop public transport. No problem, people walked, some cycled. The pompous banned yellow Bersih T-shirts. No problem, people wore yellow Brazil, Maybank and DiGi T-shirts.

Let’s be honest. We’ve had it quite easy as a nation. Maybe we are too soft. We didn’t have to go to war for our independence, unlike Vietnam, Indonesia or China. Nor did we have to sacrifice lives for democracy, unlike in Myanmar now. All that’s asked of us is to keep on pushing peacefully for change. Like that also cannot ah?

We’ve already tasted a miracle in 2018. It was like eating a delicious ten-course dinner, only to have it snatched away. Yeah sure, the fake shark fin soup had too much vinegar, but we still fondly remember the amazing lemon chicken and awesome Nyonya steamed fish. And we still want more of it.

Yes, of course, we feel angry and disillusioned after some politicians sodomised the voters' mandate. But we should not surrender and let them win.

Yes, reforms such as recall elections are needed to deal with political frogs - even Umno now agrees as they themselves have been victims thanks to their “buddies” in Bersatu. 

Yes, we must curb money in elections, before our wakil rakyat becomes wakil towkay. Meanwhile, some modest electoral reforms have been achieved.

Sure, our democracy has flaws. And we should try to fix them. But this is not the time for us to lose faith in saving this country when the rakyat have already lost faith in the backdoor conmen. When it’s just a few Parliament seats that separate the two teams. When a swing of just five to 10 percent of votes will make all the difference at the next elections.

On the political football field, the score is still 4-3 in their favour. But Team Pintu Belakang look exhausted. They are just passing the ball back and forth between the defenders and the goalkeeper, repeating the tired old routine. Their midfielders and strikers have no creative ideas left, except to think of new ways to double-cross each other. Or maybe they are bringing on a Very Old Man as a substitute during extra time.

Meanwhile, it’s so darn hard to keep track of who is backstabbing who on the side of "Malay unity". Is it Bersatu vs Umno? Why has "holy" PAS abandoned their former Muafakat Nasional husband and run off with their new boyfriend Bersatu? And then we have the “cabinet cluster” vs the “court cluster” inside Umno itself. Darn, they all sound like a virus!

This is not the time for us to give up on a better Malaysia. The stadium crowd is angry with Team Backdoor. Their own fans are throwing bottles at them. They have already scored some own goals.

They have failed so miserably in their jobs. In 2018, yeah maybe they could still claim to be “protecting the Malays and Islam” from the so-called “evil DAP-controlled” Pakatan Harapan government. That now rings hollow when their “own people” are suffering so badly from their disastrous management of Covid and the economy.

So, this is not the time for us to sink into little bitter pools of cynicism and despair when victory is within reach. Maybe not immediately, but there is a strong chance at the next elections. Especially when the brand value of Perikatan Nasional has become so toxic that Umno is trying so hard to wash their hands off it - though some jokers are clinging on to their delicious ministers’ posts.

Unless we are going to migrate tomorrow, we had better make the best of what we have in this country. If not for ourselves, then for our children, or for our friends/relatives who still live here.

So please don’t put your hands up in surrender just yet. Keep speaking up, keep contributing where you can and keep hoping for a better country. Remember - kita jaga kita, rakyat jaga rakyat. - Mkini

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ANDREW SIA is a veteran journalist who likes teh tarik khau kurang manis. You are welcome to give him ideas to brew at tehtarik@gmail.com.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.