There were no signboards or banners to point to the actual venue of the anti RU355 rally. I entered into a half-filled car park... at least it was free. Messaged my daughter for more specific directions. Walked on and saw some very free souls fishing in the lake - now, that's life. A couple of stalls selling drinks and snacks. I eyed some serious-looking fellas nearby, 1 face looked vaguely familiar, and so I decided to follow them... which turned out to be a correct hunch. There were a handful of people milling around some steps, I spotted my girl, standing out in her red cheongsam, busy with placards.
The music was.... uninspiring, to say the least. Instead of a live band, there was just some 'noise' issuing from a scratchy portable speaker. I heard the band pulled out last-minute due to 'pressure'. The heat was...hot (what else); within minutes I was sweating in my baju kurung. Apart from a few of the organizers and some odd-balls like me, no one had bothered about the call to dress up in traditional wear. Given the discomfort of the searing heat of the day, those who turned up in jeans and tees were definitely the smarter ones. I was early, so I had the privilege of choosing the best-seat in the house, or rather park. They called it an amphi-theatre, truth is it's just a small open area with steps on 3 sides. All sorts of people were trickling in. I wouldn't even call it a crowd, certainly nowhere near the thousands upon thousands who must have been gathering in Padang Merbok at the same time at the other end of town. Heck, don't bother counting thousands, there was hardly a couple of hundreds from my guess, as I parked myself on a step near some shrubs. At least I wouldn't be BBQ-ed under direct sunlight, unlike the folks with the big banners in 3 languages who gamely stood enduring the heat holding up the poles throughout the afternoon.People were choosing or making their own placards. The organizers had printed out several different messages for distribution, still there were the creative ones who preferred to take cardboard and markers to pen their own stuff. Naturally everyone was posing for selfies and we-fies. Media folks didn't need to jostle to capture the small group that had gathered in Taman Jaya that Saturday.
Every now and then, the MC would ask people to come to the front, as many preferred to shelter under the trees further off. The steps at the shaded sides were mostly occupied already. Some simply sat on the grass. There were old, young. men, women, Malays, Chinese, Indians, Sikhs, even whites. No babies or kids, rightly so, they don't belong in rallies. I heard groups came from as far as Johor and Penang, at their own expense. There were absolutely no freebies, no "door-gifts" , no souvenirs, no paraphernelia of political parties, no T-shirts, food, not even a bottle of mineral water being hawked. A petite lady somewhat apologetically announced that anyone who felt unwell in the merciless heat could contact the organizers. People dug into their pockets and wallets as a plastic bag was passed around for voluntary donations.
Who in their right mind would pay money and use up 2 1/2 hours of a precious weekend afternoon to stew in the sun, listening to speeches about some law, which they aren't in any position to debate or determine its enactment anyway? My daughter told me she was so disappointed by the apathy and lack of response by those she had contacted to come for the rally. Some hemmed and haw-ed. Some were scared of repercussions, of being branded 'bad' or worse a traitor to their religion. Some felt it wasn't their business since it supposedly won't affect them. 'Big time' NGOs didn't want to get involved, maybe talking about a 'sensitive' bill isn't an interesting as a mega financial scandal involving famous personalities or election fraud which are guaranteed crowd-pullers .Indeed it would be so much easier, simpler and definitely more preferable to stay home and snooze in the comfort of an air-conditioned room. Or go shopping in the mall. Or spend quality time with the family. Or just chill wherever, do whatever. Indeed, up to the eve of the rally, I myself wasn't interested. Not that I don't support my own daughter, but she and I have a tacit understanding; that we don't necessarily subscribe to the same views or ways of doing things. Of course I am glad she wants to fight for justice, freedom and all that but no, it wasn't about her. I went ultimately because I felt called in my heart to do the right thing in all good conscience to my God, my nation and my fellow Malaysians.
And I knew I was in the right place when we all stood up to sing Negara-Ku, We sang off-key, but it didn't matter. We were 'grasshoppers' or as one news portal apparently reported 'mosquitoes and fleas' compared to the giants in purple at Padang Merbok. In number count, we were the biblical Gideon's 300 facing off an opposing army of 135,000 . That also didn't matter. True strength can never be measured by numbers or weapons. True strength must come first and foremost from the heart.
What really mattered to me at least is that there are people who cared enough to put some action to the stirrings in their hearts by coming. They could be content to rant on social media, complain in coffee-shop chatter, engage in tsk-tsk gossip in private conversation, or even 'just pray'. Which are all perfectly well within every individual's rights to do or not do. There is no condemnation for those who feel that is enough and will go no further. So it's a purely personal decision on my part to make that effort to go just that little bit more, to sweat it out literally.
Will my presence/absence make any difference in the ultimate outcome of this controversial bill? Nah. Who am I? I am not an MP, I have no appetite for politics (just food). No reporter would chase after me for some profound-sounding policy statement. I am just ordinary 'Jane Doe' or in Malaysian Chinese lingo 'Ah Lian', or (old) aunty to children and youngsters. Sure, I get irritated, fed-up, even angry about some of the things that happen in my country. Mostly I pray over it since that's what my God teaches me to do about many things I don't have control over. My faith tells me He knows what He is doing even if I don't.
Honestly, I am just a voice in the wilderness outside the august halls of Parliament where the powers-that-be are the ones involved in all the action. Honestly, looking at the figures, even I with my mathematically-challenged mind, can calculate how easily the bill could get passed, especially when we throw in very likely abstentions by YBs who would choose the easy way out of a 'sensitive situation' by deliberately taking a leave of absence when the vote is called.So honestly, it could very well turn out that I have wasted all my precious time for nothing, if the bill gets bull-dozed through. But that doesn't matter. I attended the rally because even if the proposed law does not affect me (which I very much doubt, as any observer can easily note the trend of things happening in society these days), my heart feels for those of my fellow Malaysians who definitely will be affected. I am blessed to know a God who gives me the freedom to choose whether I want to believe, trust and obey Him or not; He doesn't force me. If I choose to say I do, it is out of my own free will, it is out of love for the One who first loved me. That's the highest fullest freedom of all. And my heart is sad that there are those who don't even know about, much less possess, that kind of freedom to choose and are instead subject to the whims of humans who claim to speak for God.
I may not have any rights to interfere, but that shouldn't stop me from standing up with those who have every right to be concerned about a law, which is drafted, debated and will be passed by mere men. It reminds me of how religious authorities added some 600+ 'sub-commandments' to the original 10 that Moses received from God, which Jesus summarized ever so neatly into just 2 - love God and love your neighbor. So how if the bill is passed and made law that may someday in all likelihood affect me, what then? Well, we deal with it when that happens. In the meantime, it's the heart, not numbers, that matters.
".... I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live " - Deutronomy 30:19
Published MMO 20/2/17
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