A Wet Night in USJ 12

The rain dripped down my back as I listened  to the candidate for state seat in Seri Setia, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad in Malaysia’s 2008 general election. As his words fought  to be heard amid the pouring rain, I scanned the crowd. I had heard him speak before and found him articulate, intelligent and sincere. But I wanted to see who else thought so- People of all ages huddled under umbrellas trying not to get too wet but definitely staying put and paying attention. The crowd of almost 2000 Chinese and Indians with a smattering of Malays were determined to stay and hear all the speakers especially the star of the night – the DAP head honcho Lim Kit Siang. However, an announcement requesting the audience to leave for their own safety, sent me reluctantly home. As I left the field, the majority of the crowd – mostly those with umbrellas big enough for two – decided to wait out the rain on the muddy field of USJ 12. I walked back slowly through the puddles and ducked other umbrellas and slow-moving cars to get to my car. Luckily I had parked in front of a friendly house because the whole area was packed. I was joined by people both young and old walking back to their houses or cars. We exchanged smiles and “too bad” remarks. My son managed to remind them who to vote for and they responded with smiles and thumbs up.

There was a sense of solidarity among the people standing in the rain on that wet night – we all shared a common frustration at a government that treats us like ignorant children. We were not even allowed to judge for ourselves how good or bad the Opposition as they are not allowed to be heard on mainstream media. We are not capable of judging for ourselves therefore we have to be be told repeatedly to be grateful, reminded to stay on the right track, consider individual acts of kindness as representative of overall good governance. We are asked to ignore the fact that peaceful gatherings are sprayed with tear gas and bathed in chemically-laced water even when there are children, that thousands of ringgit a year are paid by one household in tolls alone (try RM200 /month – RM2400/year, that billions in government funds – our hard-earned money are being poured down the drain to save projects like the Port Klang Free Trade Zone debacle or over-commissioned submarines. These are among the litany of grievances that will affect our future. Whether all the events and examples of corruption, gross neglect and abuse of the systems and the law is enough to form a critical mass to tip the election the other way around – only 8 March 2008 will tell. I worry though at the lack of Malay faces in the crowd – granted it was a DAP Opposition ceramah but the crowd did not reflect the demographics. Would the Malays give in to the fear that has been perpetuated the past 39 years of another 13 May? Would they ignore BN’s excesses and opt for the familiar ? Perhaps they need to be reminded of the following realities:

• Their children need to be competitive on their own merit on the global playing field -an education system that breeds future voters by encouraging conformity and restrict critical thinking and debate have resulted in graduates who are virtually unemployable.
• Islam is a religion of peace and tolerance. Learning and intellectualism have been highly prized in Islam through the ages – the current atmosphere that encourages unthinking, blind obedience rather than an internalisation and practice of the values as well as the rituals bodes ill for future Muslims who do not understand their own religion
• our safety and security cannot be assured if the integrity of the law enforcement agencies and the judiciary is compromised. We have to be able to trust our police force and feel safe when they are around instead of threatened. we must believe that we have a grievance, the courts will be fair to us regardless of our race, religion or status. When we are victims of a crime, we will be protected and the perpetrator caught.
• the land we live in must be developed in a sustainable manner, responsibly not indiscriminately. We need parks and green lungs, places of recreation where families can go without having to pay an entrance fee and condominiums that won’t crack or collapse. We need forests and hills to remain forests and hills for our children to see and enjoy – not be bulldozed or converted into plantations
• Malaysia is a country of such potential – we’ve had a difficult yet dynamic adolescence. Now’s the time for us to blossom into adulthood and handle the challenges that a truly equitable multi-racial society will face with maturity.

As I drove away from USJ 12, the rain had stopped but the cars were still there and so were the people of Subang Jaya who had braved the rain – united in spirit and in hope. Let us hope the tipping point for Malaysia would indeed be March 8 2008 – a date when Malaysia truly grows up.