While many of us chose to stay home on July the 9th 2011, a few thousands of our fellow Malaysians made a choice and took risks. They chose to march on the streets of Kuala Lumpur to restore the integrity of our electoral process without being intimidated by the FRU, police, water cannons and the tear gases. It was a choice made by them, for their future, for their nation.
And so, on the 16th July 2011, upon hearing about the Yellow Dinner taking place in Lotus PJ State Restaurant, I too made a choice. I chose to participate. I wanted to see the faces of my Malaysian mates who stood up for what they believed in. I wanted to listen to their experiences first-hand. But most of all, I wanted to find out the truth.
I was the first to arrive there. I sat at a corner waiting patiently for the yellow crowd to make their entrance. Upon ordering my paper tosai, I realised many curious eyes were set on me – yes, I was in yellow. Yellow is definitely not my colour. I remember telling myself that I looked like a huge pumpkin wearing the yellow blouse. And the fact that I had to wear a yellow maternity blouse (that’s all I could find in short notice since my yellow tees were all in the washer) did not help. But what the heck, perhaps after midnight, this huge yellow pumpkin would turn into something amazing, I thought. Yes, amazing is indeed the right word.
By half past seven, people started filling up the restaurant. The Jalur Gemilang placed strategically on one table made it clear that this was a gathering of Malaysians, for Malaysians, concerning Malaysians. Strangers dressed in yellow shook hands. Some hugged each other. A few not in their yellow uniform who joined the crowd said they were yellow in spirit. Soon one table became two, and then three and the numbers kept increasing. And I was proud to be there.
It was an extraordinary dinner for me. It was remarkable to see how people of different background, ethnic, religion and status can come together simply because they believed in the same thing. With due respect to the PM, this is the true 1Malaysia. Ironically, our PM and his cabinet ministers who have been chanting 1Malaysia for the longest time would never agree with me.
We had passers-by giving us strange look. There were some patrons eagerly asking around what was going on. At one point, we heard the police siren on the street nearby. But nothing mattered because something amazing took place in Lotus PJ State that night.
All too often we are busy chasing after our own personal agenda. But at the Yellow Dinner, we shared a common agenda. It was amazing. No, it was beyond amazing. The atmosphere was breathtaking.
I heard stories of strangers holding hands, marching together. I saw the smiles on their faces when they told me how individuals became groups of tens, and then grew to hundreds and thousands. I saw them giving hi-5’s when they learnt that they were with the same group on the 9th of July. I witnessed strangers breaking the ice simply by a smile and a nod and soon they joined the conversation and shared laughs.
In a time where people are too obsessed with I, me and myself, I heard stories of how strangers helped each other: A family opening their door to provide shelter for some 50 people running away from the tear gas, store owners passing out water bottles for free to those on the street, people of different ethnicity giving out helping hands as they pulled each other across the gate and over the hilly areas.
I heard about how the FRUs ordered them to sit on the street and as the crowd did as told, they were fired more tear gas. It was unprovoked. Many couldn’t see and had difficulty breathing. However, in the chaos, there was always someone around to help. Some guided them to a safer site; some offered water to wash their faces and some gave tips where to hide.
A journalist shared her story of how she was shot by water cannons and experienced the tear gas and as she crumbled and stood on the street not knowing what to do, where to go or how to react to the commotion, there were strangers who took charge and helped.
At a point, I laughed hysterically as I heard about people passing salt to each other to reduce the effect of tear gas. Many did not know what to do with them. Some rubbed the salt on their body while a friend of mine sniffed it. I learnt that night that in order to reduce the pain, one should simply put it in their mouth.
A friend told me about people who were outraged at how the peace rally had turned into. They started picking up the tear gas canisters and threw them back at the FRU. Some made their way to the water cannons despite being shot by it only to give it a few kick. That was how frustrated they were with the entire ordeal.
Everyone at the Yellow Dinner agreed that on the 9th July, true unity was in action. This reminded me of a speech by our PM a couple of months earlier. He said “...But while a man standing in the road is a nuisance, a mere distraction, 10 men standing together are harder to ignore. And if those 10 become 100, a thousand, a million, a billion even, they become a force so big, so strong and so united in their common cause...”
A blogger recently wrote on her blog upon returning from the Bersih 2.0 rally, “I went as a spectator. I returned as a believer”. I cannot say I returned as a believer because I have always been a believer. I believe in our Federal Constitution and I believe in human’s right, justice and freedom.
On my journey home, I started thinking about the rest of my fellow Malaysians who are still alienating themselves from Bersih. To support Bersih is not about wearing yellow or provoking the government. It is about believing in the concept of Bersih. What started as a call for fair and clean election has now grew to demands for human rights and justice and freedom. Who in their right minds wouldn’t support people power?
Perhaps we are curious creatures who hate things to change. We prefer to be in the auto pilot mode because we want to stay comfortable without having the need to adapt to changes. I understand that change is often resisted as the outcome is uncertain. But growth can’t happen without change and being a successful nation is the ability to adapt to change. To not deal with things that matters denies our very right to grow as individuals.
I know many Malaysians who are in dilemma. I have met and talked to many who share the same dilemma. They simply do not know what to do. Should they just observe? Or should they just leave it to the rest to fight for it? Or perhaps they should simply make a note of it and do nothing?
So what happens if other people don’t see it the way we do? What if they try to imagine but they just can’t see the possibilities that we see? What do we do then? It can be frustrating to see our fellow Malaysians minding their own business as we fight this battle for the entire nation.
One thing we can do is to be patient and honest. Share with them why we see the change as being genuinely better for everyone especially for our next generation, for our children and grandchildren and their family. After all, we are all human. We all want things to change if we see the real benefits. One common thing that we all share is the Malaysian dream. If everyone unites for this dream, then all the bumps and twists and turns that we encounter wouldn’t slow us a bit.
‘Unity is like a body- kick it in the leg and the rest of the body feels it. Kick it hard enough and the entire body will be energised to defend itself.’
A Russian philosopher once said, “I know that my unity with all people cannot be destroyed by national boundaries and government order”. I now realise the truth in that. I missed the unity on the 9th of July on the streets of Kuala Lumpur but I felt it at the Yellow Dinner. I am now eagerly waiting for whatever that’s next to come. I might not dress up like a yellow pumpkin in the future but believe me, the colour of blood in my veins are now yellow!
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