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Dajmarizal Zolkipli
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Monday, 30 April 2012 18:00 |
 bersih
Bersih 3 Duduk Bantah ‘peaceful sit-in was just a half an hour away from reaching its scheduled objective – to sit down, chant, get noticed and disperse by 4pm. But suddenly, all hell broke loose.
From 3:20pm, just after one of the many barricades set up by the police had been breached, Malaysia witnessed Bersih’s first major impact on the Malaysian political landscape and how we see ourselves in a democratic land.
What really sparked the violence we may never know for sure. Police will always defend their action saying the protestant had acted over the boundary while, on the other side, Bersih protesters will keep accusing the police for provoking them. Some would even go to the extent of saying agent provocateurs had been planted in what was supposed to be a peaceful gathering.
This sentiments of some of opposition figures as well as Bersih co-chairperson Datuk S Ambiga are that ‘instigators’ might have played their part in the unfortunate incident at Sogo, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman. Parti Rakyat Malaysia president Dr Rohana Ariffin also echoed Ambiga’s view on the matter.
People have their own reasons for suspecting that instigators might have been used to create high tension situation. One website, Amenoworld.com, had already published in its FB page a theory linking special branch officers to the alleged instigations. However, with what had happened to some police officers who were assaulted, the public would think that such theory used by Ambiga & Co as an excuse to avoid taking responsibility for the chaos and destruction that had occurred during the rally.
Even if the police had played a part in instigating the protesters, it still doesn’t give a valid reason why Bersih failed to control its crowd of tens of thousands.
In all the press conferences I had attended during the buildup leading to Duduk Bantah, the steering committee had affirmed their decision that the peaceful sit-in will be 100 percent risk-free. But this obviously wasn’t the case last Saturday. Police were really rough in handling the protesters during Bersih 1.0 and 2.0 when the police acted on emotions and were irresponsible. But yesterday, at 3:20pm, when the barricades were torn down, the action of the authorities was this time steady and rational.
What I did see were kids in ‘Guy Fawkes’ masks provoking the police throughout the afternoon. I also witnessed a friendly attempt from an old uncle repeatedly trying to give flower to the FRU personnel. A friend of mine even suggested that it looks as if these boys have been trained provoke the authorities because Malaysians in nature are not as provocative as what we can saw that day.
People would give different accounts on what had transpired on April 28, and mine would differ from many other hundreds of thousands that can be read on the internet. Meanwhile, both sides of the political divide will keep on pointing their fingers at each other. However, one lesson that we all Malaysians should learn about last Saturday’s rally was that demonstrations have become a meaningless exercise in democracy.
*The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the writer.
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