One night where I saw change

 

 On Wednesday night (Nov 16), two events showed me the winds of change. 

The first was a town hall meeting by the Friends of Bukit Dinding, a group trying to save a beloved hill from dangerous development. All the candidates standing in the Setiawangsa parliamentary seat of Kuala Lumpur were invited to come and state their stand on the project.

As I approached the venue, I could see a majestic hill looming above me. No wonder they call the place “Wonder Wall”, a more imaginative translation of the word “dinding”.

Yet, in the usual Boleh-land way, some dubious project had been approved just months before, perhaps in an unholy haste before the elections.

Five of the six candidates came. They spoke up and signed a pledge to do their best to protect the hill. They were from Pakatan Harapan, Bersatu, Pejuang, plus two independents. 

The only candidate missing was from BN. Perhaps the “Datuk Seri” involved knew it would be too hard to answer questions about why Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), controlled by an Umno minister, had approved the project.

Highland Towers repeat?

There were steep slopes here where several landslides had already occurred. And how could the area’s narrow roads handle the traffic from the project, which included two 26-storey condos?

Consultant engineer Suzanna Abdul Rahman explained how a stream would be diverted for the upcoming construction by a subsidiary of Tan & Tan Development. This was exactly how the nearby Highland Towers had collapsed in 1993, she said, after a diverted stream had weakened the condo’s foundations.

During the town hall, I heard how Bukit Dinding was the only real green lung of Setiawangsa. It was like the Bukit Kiara of eastern KL.

Residents loved it. Hikers, runners, and cyclists from other parts of the city regularly came here. There had even been international running events.

What was most interesting was how a residents/conservation group leveraged the elections to help save this hill. This was democracy in action. There had been grumblings in the media before, but getting five candidates here made the issue more prominent.

Harapan’s incumbent candidate, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, explained that the root problem is that DBKL is not accountable to residents but controlled by the federal territories minister. (Yes, the guy from Arau, Perlis, who recently closed all elections operations centres and removed all BN flags after he was dropped as an Umno candidate!)

Harapan’s Setiawangsa candidate Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (centre)

Hence, Harapan’s manifesto promises to increase democratic representation at DBKL so that it will protect the interests of the people, not developers.

Braving the rain for change

After the town hall, I was told there was a big Harapan ceramah nearby. This was the second event that made me think that change was possible.

People trudged through the drizzling rain, armed with umbrellas and raincoats, to attend the ceramah at Keramat AU2, KL. I had to park almost 1km away as every road in the housing area was full. As I walked in, even from far away I could hear the crowd shout “Kita Boleh!”

This is part of the Gombak seat, where a battle royale is on between one of the main actors in the Sheraton Move, Azmin Ali, and his former protege Amirudin Shari, the Selangor menteri besar. A smart move by PKR.

Near the event, a bustling mini pasar malam had sprung up, with stalls selling food and Harapan T-shirts. Unlike BN or PN, Harapan supporters don’t get free buses, food, or clothing. We use our own money. And it helps people running small businesses make a living.

I couldn’t get close enough to even see the speakers on stage. But the people next to me at the back, all holding their umbrellas, provided entertaining live commentary to lighten up the soggy setting. 

Anwar Ibrahim was the last speaker, and he recalled the history of the Malay annals which detailed a traitor whose poisonous lies and intrigues had led to the fall of the Malacca Sultanate. What was his name? “Si Kitol!” roared the audience.

Anwar said that Si Kitol’s punishment was death by sula or impalement, where a sharpened bamboo stick is thrust from the rear end up to the mouth. Several people then shouted, "Sula Azmin!" (Impale Azmin!).

Of course, there’s no such punishment now. But political impalement through a devastating defeat was possible.

My sandals were soaked. But I was warmed by the electric mood. And the crowd was mostly Malay mind you, indicating a crucial vote swing, as surveys indicate.

This country could see a repeat of the 2018 miracle. If it happens, I'll be glad I came to see history in the making. - 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.