Happy to be proven wrong over March 7

Despite the pessimism that the #KitaLawan rally would be smaller, the large turnout shows that people are hungry for change.

COMMENT

by TK Chua

Before the rally took place this afternoon, I was apprehensive the crowd would be small. As it turned out, it was beyond expectation.

There were various reasons why I was not optimistic initially. The disarray and disunity within PR were real. There were fights over issues like hudud and local elections.

There were disappointments over the Kajang move and tussles over the Selangor MB post. There were apprehensions over the water deals and highways in Selangor. There were doubts over the Selangor state government’s ability to protect the interests of the people.

There were the constant harassment of PR leaders under various stages of investigation or court proceeding for sedition and other offences. There was grave despondence and despair when Anwar was finally convicted and jailed yet again.

I thought all these factors, put together, would have softened the people’s resolve but I was wrong.

On the contrary, I think they have strengthened the people’s resolve to plough on.

I am of the belief that the people are now angrier rather than cowed; more tenacious rather than broken; more united despite constant attempts to divide them.

I think BN has committed enough blunders to rattle the people. Just look at the endless baloney churned out each day. The Shah Alam hospital has now delayed for four years with still with no end to the issue in sight.

No sooner after fixing PKFZ and NFC, we now have 1MDB in our hands. And before we could begin to understand the problems in 1MDB, we are now being told of Felda Global Ventures’s scandalous foray into London hotels. Can we ever do one thing right?

I have not even mentioned the ill-conceived GST and the mess it is likely to cause when comes to implementation. I think we ain’t seen nothing yet.

TK Chua is an FMT reader.