pre-script: I’m angered that 29 have been charged with regards to Saturday’s rally, including Cikgu Laila, if i’m not mistaken, who runs the Merah Hitam blog >:(
Sorry this is late in coming.
Things are still quite busy, so a brief recounting of my own experience on Saturday.
I feared access to town would be locked out, so I headed in around 11am by train to Masjid Jamek, which was quiet when we arrived. I met friends and had some delicious thosai for our 3 hour lunch.
Around 1.45, we made our way over back to the station, where the crowd had gathered, and things were pretty tense. By that time, a group of people were gathered inside the mosque.
When they tried to march out, police started tear gassing. We made our way out of there, but were hurt pretty bad by the gas. It was a first for all those with me.
One said: lucky you told me beforehand you can’t die from this stuff, if not I would have thought I was going to.
I think those who’ve been ‘fortunate’ enough to have had the experience know what my friend meant. The way your eyes sting and throat burns, the way it chokes you, really makes it feel like you’ve had it.
Thus began our day of playing cat and mouse with the cops. We tried to keep an eye out for crowd movements, and didn’t have any systematic info on what was going on, so we just wandered in the direction people seemed to be going.
The whole time, it felt like the police could descend upon us at any minute in full force.
After twists and turns, we finally made it to Sogo.
Sogo was great. It was the biggest crowd we were a part of, and we felt that we finally made it.
After the speeches there, the massive crowd started to march from Sogo and I thought we were in good shape, being so large in number and mobile.
But what to do? The cops were having none of it. They fired tear gas indiscriminately into the crowd and drenched everyone with water cannons.
It was so dangerous, with people running like that. Someone could have so easily gotten trampled :(
One of my most vivid memories were these 2 Unit Amal guys from Pas who were yelling for a way through because they were carrying this kid who was soaked wet and probably completely gassed :( I really hope he was ok.
The back and forth with the cops – reminiscient of my horrible, deeply infruriating day at the Hindraf rally – continued until we had been pushed back to the Esso station at the end of Jln Munshi Abdullah.
After a while, we decided to try and make it to Pas HQ, which was a long walk away. We were too late though, the crowd was dispersing before we arrived.
Another awful low point of the day: as we watched the crowd disperse completely peacefully from the Pas HQ, the police suddenly went mad again and fired upon the retreating crowd that was trying to walk away.
Why they would open fire on a crowd already dispersing!?? Was there some stupid quota of tear gas and water cannon fluid that they must finish?!?
Grr.
Facing the cops on the streets is a terrible thing. Why do we do it?
As you’ve probably seen, Yeo Yang Poh has a pretty good answer.
Despite the day’s many horrors, I still consider it a proud, proud day.
I was proud for the tens of thousands that made their presence felt, that took a stand for their principles.
I was proud for every Malaysian that faced the police fearlessly, and fought for what they believed in.
I was proud to walk with them, proud to be counted among their ranks, proud for the comradeship that we shared.
Tens of thousands – there’s hope for Malaysia yet!
No more detention without trial!!!
