It all started when Kevin found a facebook page called 'Bersih 2.0 Australia' and read about the planned rallies in Sydney, Canberra, and Melbourne. Unfortunately, there was none planned for Perth. But he did notice a comment on the page - someone else from Perth was asking if there was going to be one in Perth. Kevin responded to his comment, and asked if anyone else was interested. Then another commenter from Perth turned up... and another and another and another... soon, it all became a reality, thanks to Soon Yee Yap (the original commenter), and Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia Australia! A day before the event, more than 200 had confirmed their participation on the Bersih 2.0 Perth facebook page!
With all that was happening back home in Malaysia, how could we not stand in solidarity with our fellow Malaysians whom we knew would be facing arrests, water cannons, tear gas, and possibly even violence from silat people, patriot, perkasa and many others who opposed them?
We took a bus to the city, and Kevin hopped off near the Malaysian consulate where the rally was being held. Agnes and Jacynth went instead to the Hay Street mall (under strict orders from Kevin, just in case anything happened...), where they walked around as they waited. Agnes and Jacynth (albeit underneath her jacket!), of course, showed their support by wearing yellow!
Having been a part of the Bersih 1.0 rally in 2007 at the Masjid Jamek area (where water cannons and tear gas were also fired), Kevin couldn't help but notice the stark contrast between both rallies. We all know what happened in Malaysia in 2007, and even worse, what happened in Bersih 2.0 this year in KL. But here in Perth, it was like a street party! There was music, balloons, etc.
The police here also set up make-shift roadblocks, but only to protect the participants from oncoming traffic! Yes, we did get a little bit careless and wandered onto the roads in all the excitement! They even helped participants cross the road, and even responded to requests to help shoot photos!
Check out the hot chicks in uniform (and with guns)!
Kevin managed to chat with a few Aussies who joined in the rally - they were from the Socialist Alliance of Western Australia, the sister organization of Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM). They mentioned that they knew Dr. Jeyakumar personally, and he stayed at their homes when he visited Perth to give talks.
A local passerby even commented on his surprise at the number of people gathered there (more than 200), and that this was the biggest rally he'd ever seen in Perth! Apparently Perth residents are not as inclined as their counterparts in the East when it came to involvement in such rallies.
As the crowd dispersed, Kevin went over and thanked the police for their help.
Policeman: What for? (looking surprised, as if it was all just a part of his job)
Kevin: Well, at least you're not firing tear gas at us, which is probably what's happening back home right now.
Policeman: (Laughs) Yea, that's because we don't have any!
As Kevin walked along Adelaide Terrace to go look for Agnes and Jacynth, he came across St. George's Cathedral and saw that the doors were opened. So he decided to walk in, and had what was probably the most poignant moment of the day. He stood for a moment, facing the altar, relishing that little moment of silence after all the noise at the rally, and prayed for everyone back home.
As we met up in the city, we decided to go home immediately so that we could find out what was happening back home. That was the most difficult part of the whole experience, knowing that many good friends and relatives were involved in the rally in KL and not knowing how they were.
We stayed glued to the computer the whole evening, keeping ourselves updated with the situation in KL. Videos were pouring in, and we watched as many as we could with tears streaming down our faces. For Kevin, it felt like Bersih 2007 all over again, and we actually wished we were on the ground in KL so we could share in that moment with fellow Malaysians.
We felt so proud to be Malaysians that day, so we just HAD to celebrate by having dinner at Mahsuri, a Malaysian restaurant! We ordered chicken rendang, terung sambal, and telur dadar, then had pulut hitam for desert - all for just AUD50! :O
