Black

Black is the color of my country

A protest against an election deemed not free. 

From Kelana Jaya to Batu Kawan

The battle's on, not an outing for fun.

I am a person of perspectives. It is my strength and also my weakness. A person of perspectives can see from a lot of angles. He or she benefits by not overlooking things that may be blind to those who are too strong with their views.

But he or she may also hesitate and postpone an action that ought to be taken, for taking too much into consideration. Fear for being on the losing end. Fear for making a wrong decision. Always in a dilemma, unsure of taking the right or left road.

It was a protest against dirty elections. It was a unanimous cry against the lies that the people have endured. It was something democracy would have allowed, and not branded as illegal.

I was one of them who gathered at the Kelana Jaya stadium. I was one of them who wore black (black shirt, black shorts, black cap). I had the right to believe what I believe, the belief I believe is shared by almost half the voting nation of Malaysia.

The crowd was unbelievable - the stadium packed to the brim. It was an occasion which outmatched and outstripped every football match that had been held in that very stadium. Rain or wind, deemed legal or not, it did not deter the people from gathering and creating a night to remember.

As soon as the climax was about to end, by who else other than Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim, me and my relatives knew it was going to be crowded when everyone starts to leave after Anwar's speech. We quickly made our way to the exit, through the wet and muddy field patronized and accommodated by the crowds, slowly, without stepping on them.

Too late.

The field became chaotic. Everyone wanted to leave. Some people are even trying to come down to the field, for their specific reasons. There was a terrible bottleneck, where there was only one available exit and entrance to the field.

I was pushed, shoved, squeezed by the impatient crowd. I was impatient, not at the speed we were going, but at the impatient and terrible crowd activity going around. However, surprisingly, I did not lose my temper. Nor did I ask them to stop pushing. Probably I was too tired. Too longing to go back to my bed.

Then I got lost from my relatives. I could not even control where I was moving. I ended up at LDP, which was the wrong side. My relatives have to walk back to their car, brave through the traffic congestion caused by the crowd to fetch me at the other side from where we originally parked.

There I was, alone, walking down the pavements beside LDP, pondering and thinking about the gathering. That was when my perspective intuition kicked in.

Is it right to hold such an occasion?

Prior to attending, I would have gave a firm yes. Up till this very movement, I would still say yes, but I have seen the ugly or unwanted side of an event this magnitude.

An occasion like this was to let our voices be heard. That we aren't happy with the current situation. That we have the rights to express them in an outspoken but not crossing a boundary which may disrupt peace.

Let's admit. The din and chaotic aftermath was a disturbance to the night. An occasion of voicing out our discontent against unfair election is not recognized by the current ruling party. For them, they view it as an excuse for not accepting defeat, or in other words, going against the current government, posing a high threat against the peace and stability of the country. They are correct, and I agree to a certain extent.

It was supposed to be an event, led by Ambiga herself, and not Anwar Ibrahim. To some extent, it was an event fueled by an opposition movement.

This is what I have realized. The current opposition movement is campaigning against dirty politics. But by doing so, the effective way they seem to be using is by fanning hatred to the current ruling government, which I considered somewhat unhealthy.

Then again, this is the only way Pakatan Rakyat can fight this war. It is not the right way to win the people's heart, but then again, it is the only solution.

I support what Pakatan are trying to do. But that doesn't mean I am all in for their methods. How they plan to counter this issue in the coming 21 days is an issue. Even if a miracle happens, they face a huge task ahead too - winning back my vote after 5 years, and not expecting me to go till the end with them.