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Malay Mail
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
The Malaysian Protest Museum
JULY 24 — On June 22, 2013, people descended on Padang Merbok. More than a month after a general election, Pakatan Harapan folks dreamt seven weeks of nationwide protest rallies since May 5 polling day culminated in a city crescendo. Instead, a tepid gathering of thousands in a moderate haze marked the end of the pointless reactionary scream and started the longer slog to 2018, when Pakatan eventually won power. More than 12 years ago those events. Two days away is the 'Turun Anwar' rally. A haze has already descended on the city for this weekend's festivities and media folks ready their goggles to count the turnout between liquid sips. This column recorded in 2013: The last (#Black505) rally was on June 22 at the city's Padang Merbok, next to Parliament. A combination of prolonged rallies with no rallying point and a hefty haze plaguing the city, the mixed attendance somehow ended the resistance. For full disclosure, the columnist was part of the protest organisation. Today, the attention is not on how many are likely to experience breathing difficulties on Saturday but the air of freedom experienced by the country through protests over the last quarter of a century. Changed our tanah air. Reformasi 98 to Bersih, in stages Pleasantville-like Malaysia discovered colour. Malaysians turned away from democracy strictly at the ballot box to expressions on the streets, and that changed how a docile nation turned fashionably louder — not loud enough if I'm asked. Though the misfortune is that these exhibitions about our people have been inadequately safeguarded. They deserve their place in a gallery. Even those pictures of PAS cadres passing bottled water to attendees in Padang Merbok 12 years ago. Incidentally, one of my team members broke his leg on that day. Not evading police but rather on an isolated staircase. Black505 was a badly phrased title for a movement, and probably contributes to why it has steered clear off the population's imagination, though the low visibility and torrid air quality on the fateful day a dozen years ago played a far bigger part. 'Turun Anwar' writes its own history however it turns out this weekend. Regardless, the stories of our relatively new protest culture deserve a central place in the rakyat's imagination. Not in the cold archives of academic libraries but in a museum. The Protest Museum, preferably a stone's throw away from Dataran Merdeka. The fundraising would be a walk in the park. Pick a pamphlet at the lobby First floor, the Batu Arang coal workers' unrests between the Japanese Occupation. Some space for Umno's formation through a collective protest action towards the Malayan Union. It would be crikey to get British radio broadcasts about troubles in the colonies. Before the floor exit, the Hartal of 1948. Opinions are divided but they are our protests and not talking about them will not do. Welcome to the information age! A whole floor for Reformasi 98, and another for the evolution of Bersih. Audios from those who showed up to face the water cannons and tear gas cannisters. Shouts and pandemonium in and around Tung Shin Hospital and the long wait at Tunku Abdul Rahman around the now-disappeared Coliseum. Finally, a museum visit that might actually appeal to younger Malaysians. It aids to contextualise the purpose of protests to the young. The prime minister's team is worried about all protests these days as they are directed at them. Maybe they have it the wrong way around. Movements require a cause to march ahead for, to uphold. A sense of injustice. Currently, the prime minister's opponents lack one. While cost of living and less money always upsets people, it has to be at the extreme end for people to show up on the streets. People protest against rising fuel prices in Kuala Lumpur on September 6, 2013. — Picture by Saw Siow Feng When comparing apples with apples, Anwar Ibrahim has the far more compelling story. Two medium terms in prison and an early start in student activism. Running hard, from George Town to Putrajaya with countless number of setbacks. The crowds love to hear about his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail's letters to him in prison. The prime minister should feel tempted to drive down to the city on Saturday and meet the organisers and egg them on. Or even send them tips on how to organise a successful rally. The tenth prime minister is the first one to have a protest background. Which is not a small matter. Our Pms have been prosaic civil servants with technocratic leanings rather than imagining themselves as characters in a Gabriel García Márquez novel. Which is why he should be the patron for Malaysia's Protest Museum. Though there is a warning. Do not sanitise the past, which means also the prime minister's past. Rebellions excite because they are flawed. Rich on ideals, weak on details. The moment the museum is selective about the past and its information, that's when it turns staid. It will be cool to have an inscription at the front entrance. About how these seminal protests have taught Malaysians and driven discussions about civic consciousness far more than 11 years of standard public education's textbooks. And admission should be free — it is state and rakyat funded. They, the patron, eventually pay admission price when they eventually participate in their own protests. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
Focus Malaysia
a day ago
- Politics
- Focus Malaysia
PAS, you are not fit to lead the rally for a better Malaysia
PAS is turning the Turun Anwar rally this Saturday into a religious crusade against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The Islamist party wants all Malaysians to hit the streets to express their disgust with this cruel leader. In their exhortation, the ulamas in the party have described attendance as a moral obligation to get rid of this Madani (truth and trustworthy) government. These religious leaders think Malaysians will turn out in the tens of thousands in answer to this spiritual call and, with one thunderous shout, bring down the walls of Putrajaya. One PAS MP even confidently predicted the rally will be mother of all rallies, with 500,000 expected to show up. By putting the fear of God into the people, PAS thinks this would do the trick: they will run out and join the rally for fear God will send thunderbolts on them for disobeying this numinous injunction. But does PAS really think this religious gambit will work? The notion that religion is an effective tool to stir the conscience of the people into action is a fallacy, especially when it is used for political purposes. In the past, thousands of Malaysians had poured onto the streets of Kuala Lumpur to fight for electoral reforms under the aegis of Bersih. There was no need to fan religious sentiments to get the people to participate in the series of Bersih rallies. The rally in 2016 was significant because it saw a massive turnout of protesters demanding the resignation of the then prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak (now a jailbird) over the 1IMDB scandal. Now PAS thinks it can rekindle the same Bersih spirit to pressure, this time, Anwar to step down in protest against his leadership. What is PAS griping about? Plenty of issues ranging from rising costs of living, poor governance to electricity tariffs and broken promises of reforms. Seen through PAS lenses, the people are now suffering and they are desperately crying out for help. They cannot stand anymore. The situation needs urgent remedy. Let's survey the scene before us and if we believe the country is in a terrible shape as seen through the 'alarming window' of PAS, then this is what our society will look like: People starving at homes and on the streets because they have no money to buy food; Emaciated children with swollen bellies lying in the arms of helpless mothers; Long lines of hungry people rushing for food aid; Hospitals overflowing with indigent patients who cannot afford to purchase medicines in private clinics; Homeless people sleeping on the pavements because they cannot settle their housing loans or rents; Unemployed youths turning to crime; Daily spontaneous violent demonstrations against the government; Businesses suffering heavy losses due to failed economic policies; and The whole country grinding to a slow halt because the 'bus driver'in Putrajaya is incompetent. But this 'large-scale wretchedness' never happened. Life goes on as usual. People are not dying of hunger. There's still plenty of food to go around. There are still roofs over their heads. And Anwar is still behind the wheels driving cautiously through the many obstacles and roadblocks put up by PAS and its allies in Perikatan Nasional. If there are cruel leaders inflicting pain and misery on the people, they would have been toppled a long time ago. People would have rushed out to the streets to vent their fury without the religious prompting of PAS. Come July 26, Malaysians can send a different message to all the bigots and extremists in PAS: we are not interested in your religious-fuelled rally because you are not fit to lead Malaysians in the fight for a better, brighter, fairer future. ‒ July 23, 2025 Phlip Rodrigues is a retired journalist. The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia. Main image : Harakahdaily
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Gathering on assembly law reform turns tense in brief standoff with cops
Rallygoers were involved in a brief standoff with police outside Parliament this morning. KUALA LUMPUR : A gathering calling for the abolition of the Sedition Act and the reform of the Peaceful Assembly Act turned a little tense when a participant was allegedly manhandled by a policeman outside Parliament this morning. Student group Himpunan Advokasi Rakyat Malaysia (Haram) president Brendon Gan, who witnessed the incident, claimed that a policeman grabbed a demonstrator by the neck during a standoff at the barricade. 'Who gave the cops the right to do that?' he asked. 'If it wasn't for YB Syed Saddiq who came to help, who knows what would've happened?,' he said, referring to Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman. FMT has contacted the police for comment. The incident occurred as about 50 demonstrators – from electoral reform group Bersih, rights group Suaram, student groups, unions, and several civil society organisations – marched from Taman Tugu to Parliament to hand over a memorandum demanding reforms. They were stopped in the middle of the road by policemen who prevented them from reaching Parliament's gates. Protesters, some of whom turned up as early as 10.30pm despite the downpour, chanted 'long live the people, rise up against oppressive laws!' while beating drums and holding up banners that read 'fight draconian legislation'. The crowd was later met by several MPs and representatives, including Syed Saddiq; Perikatan Nasional's Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal; Teresa Kok, Syerleena Abdul Rashid, Dr Kelvin Yii, Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh and Khoo Poay Tiong from Pakatan Harapan; as well as Warisan's Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis. Addressing the crowd, Wan Fayhsal and the other MPs in attendance expressed support for the protesters. 'If I, as a parliamentarian with immunity, can be punished for speaking out, imagine the risks faced by citizens. I will ensure your voices reach the Dewan Rakyat,' Wan Fayhsal said. Yii, the Bandar Kuching MP from DAP, reaffirmed the constitutional right to peaceful assembly, saying it had long been part of Malaysia's democratic tradition. He urged the authorities not to suppress such gatherings but to instead 'facilitate them better', 'A bill will be tabled to amend the Peaceful Assembly Act,' he said. 'I haven't seen the final draft yet, but once I do, I will study it to ensure it includes the necessary reforms. 'Regardless of whether we agree with the message of a demonstration, we must respect their right to assemble.' Several other speakers criticised the government for failing to deliver on its promises to abolish the Sedition Act and ensure meaningful reform of public assembly laws. 'This is not the first time we've submitted a memorandum calling for the Sedition Act to be abolished,' said Bersih chairman Faisal Abdul Aziz. 'We've done it before. Today, we are here to demand that the government listens and acts.' Qistina Johari of Amnesty International Malaysia said peaceful assemblies and freedom of speech were being treated as 'a threat' by the authorities. 'Protests are not criminal. Protests are patriotic,' she said. 'The Sedition Act should have been abolished along with the British Empire — instead it's still being used to protect the powerful.'
New Straits Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Bersih welcomes appointment of Malaysia's 3 top judges
KUALA LUMPUR: The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) has welcomed the appointment of the country's three top judges, including Chief Justice Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh. The Bersih steering committee expressed hope that Wan Ahmad's firm stance in upholding the country's principles of sovereignty will continue in his tenure as Chief Justice, saying that Wan Ahmad Farid, who had been part of the political paty Umno, had recused himself from hearing former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's case as a High Court judge in 2022. "Such a stance is vital to ensure that the public respects the judiciary as a body that upholds the principle of legal sovereignty," the committee said in a statement today, adding that it was vital for Wan Ahamd to avoid causing negative public perception towards the independence of the judicial institution. The appointment of the top three judges, Wan Ahmad Farid as Chief Justice, Datuk Abu Bakar Jais as President of the Court of Appeals and Datuk Azizah Nawawi as Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak, was made public earlier. The appointments were made based on Clause (1) of Article 122B of the Federal Constitution, after obtaining the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the advice of the prime minister and after consulting the Conference of Rulers. They will receive their letters of appointment and take their oaths of office in front of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia at Istana Negara on July 28, 2025.
The Star
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Bersih welcomes appointment of Malaysia's three top judges
KUALA LUMPUR: The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) has welcomed the appointment of the country's three top judges, including Chief Justice Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh. The Bersih steering committee expressed hope that Wan Ahmad's firm stance in upholding the country's principles of sovereignty would continue in his tenure as Chief Justice, adding that Wan Ahmad Farid, who had been part of the political paty Umno, had recused himself from hearing former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's case as a High Court judge in 2022. "Such a stance is vital to ensure that the public respects the judiciary as a body that upholds the principle of legal sovereignty,' the committee said in a statement on Friday (July 18), adding that it was vital for Wan Ahamd to avoid causing negative public perception towards the independence of the judicial institution. The appointment of the top three judges, Wan Ahmad Farid as Chief Justice, Datuk Abu Bakar Jais as president of the Court of Appeals and Datuk Azizah Nawawi as Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak, was made public on Thursday (July 17). The appointments were made based on Clause (1) of Article 122B of the Federal Constitution, after obtaining the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the advice of the Prime Minister and after consulting the Conference of Rulers. They are set to receive their letters of appointment and take their oaths of office in front of His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia at Istana Negara on July 28, 2025.- Bernama
