BERSIH 3.0

I have a confession to make. I was one of the participants of BERSIH 3.0. Even in hindsight, I still say I would've regretted it all my life had I not been there. I do not agree to the violence that occurred during that day, but that doesn't mean I will let it blind me to what the movement truly is about. As the current prime minister Najib Abdul Razak has once extolled, let the views of the moderates be heard. Let not the voice of the extremists overshadow the message of the moderates. Well, now is the best chance for him to practice what he preaches. Hindsight is always 20/20. And in hindsight, I will admit that there are things both sides could've done better.

1. Dataran Merdeka as a venue
Why did the Home Ministry/DBKL (doesn't really matter who since they're from the same side and takes orders from the same people) ban Dataran Merdeka as a venue? Does not the movement for Clean and Fair elections qualify as a NATIONAL event when even INTERNATIONAL participation was confirmed? Or do NATIONAL events only qualify when it is endorsed by the ruling party of Malaysia? You alone don't own Dataran Merdeka. WE all do. You only own it by virtue of being one of us, not above us.

2. Role of the Press
 Why were the mainstream media practicing a media blackout on the event? Should they have given more prominence to Ambiga's voice, her comment about telling the people to NOT cross the barricade can be more widely heard. Despite the wide usage of the net, the days of the printing press is not over yet (if it were, newspaper will no longer even exist), so why did they not do their parts in ensuring that BERSIH's guide to peaceful assembly was read widely?

3. Role of the Police
Why pursue the protestors all the way up to Jalan Tun H.S. Lee if the orders were merely to protect Dataran Merdeka? This act turned defensive into offensive, and can no longer be called "acted with restraint". And then there were the rumours that the police car driving through the protestor ranks and killed a citizen did so deliberately. While I do not condone the protestors taking matters into their hands by overturning the offending car, should the car have been there in the first place?

4. Role of BERSIH's Unit Amalan
As I was there at the Pasar Seni speech, I witness myself that the Unit Amalan of BERSIH formed a human chain to open a way for the Steering Committee to pass through the people (when the parade was starting at 1.45pm). So, could they have done the same in containing the people right at the border of Dataran Merdeka? For that matter, why were the people not commencing their sit-in and remained standing? Should they have organised it thoroughly, the protestors won't have itched to breach the barricade, and the police won't have cause to spray water cannon or tear gas to the protestors if all they did was shout "Buka pagar" (open the gates) while sitting down.

5. Role of the Election Commission
When push comes to shove, let us all admit it: were it not for the EC's stubbornness in electoral reforms (including the PSC's lousy report and the regression of election laws just recently passed), BERSIH 3.0 would never be needed in the first place. Yet no one is blaming the Election Commission of being the indirect, if not direct, culprit of the events. If the chairwoman of the steering committee can be held accountable for the day's events, why not the idiocy of the commission who triggered these events in the first place? (If the same principles were applied to the Cowgate scandal, not only should Sharizat resign as a Senator and Wanita UMNO chief, but Najib should resign as well to "take responsibility".)