... take care that we don't destroy it.
The 508 rally was the first political rally that I have ever attended. It was one of the most memorable experience for me. It might be so because it was my first experience; especially one with everyone's morale for change is still high.
Exactly a week ago my family and I (except my brother) went to Bali for our yearly family trip; an annual event inaugurated last year. I left my country with a heavy heart knowing that I am not able to do a part for my country in what I was expecting to be a grand history making of Malaysia. The thought that I will not be able to stand proud and say I voted saddened me throughout the trip.
If you ask me if I enjoyed the trip, well no I did not. Partially because maybe Bali isn't really a good place for a family trip with parents and a kid with me in between the age gap alone. But mostly because of the election that was about to take place. In my helplessness, I turned into a kid and whine about it.
Then came the infamous GE-13 and we all know what happened. Fair or fraud, like it or not, we lost. A fusion of mixed feelings, both anger and despair swept across our nation. Curses and swears are thrown around like a barrage of arrows across the cyber space.
Nonetheless, Teresa Kok won by a mile and as a consolation, my vote would have been technically redundant (but not in spirit). That helped me got over it. And the fact that the "indelible" ink can be easily removed was used has saved me from feeling left out with stainless index finger.
This little fella can be too cute at times.
Coming back to the rally last night. The stadium was meat packed. It was like a metal rock concert without metal music with no chance of hitting ground if a stage dive is performed. Everyone was wearing black. Instead of heart pounding drum beats, there was a continuous blowing of the vuvuzela from across the stadium and we mostly can't hear much.
It was exhausting and I screamed like I've never screamed before. I didn't feel hungry until it was over. I skipped lunch yesterday and only had a few buns during tea break and I lasted until night. Although it was exhausting, more introspection was induced. I was expecting a crowd that is ain't too promising because I felt discouraged myself with that outcome of the election result. But obviously I was wrong. The crowd showed me that we don't back down easily.
However, the introspection started when I came across this article:
A final embrace
There's curse in bloodshed.. But sometimes there is power.. This photo is indeed disturbing but it moved me.
There blood from the man's eye were like tears. Well he ain't no Christ and his blood wasn't shed for me. But it reminded me of Christ.
Then came the part where I think about how I disputed Bangladeshis. I hated their presence. I imagine in my head letting loose a rail gunfire upon the mass number of them. I think i even said that out loud in a random conversation. I had no love for them.
Their presence indeed post a threat to our nation's strive for a better government. But they are only human no less than me trying to make a living on this face of the earth. What has gotten into me that I would give up humanity to hate them. I didn't hate them because of their skin color. I simply hated them because they are here.
"We are not a number" . They are created and loved by God just the same. And they are here because they don't have a choice. What further convicted me was when I was having my dinner. The foreign worker working there ,Burmese or Bangladeshi , I can't tell but unimportant. I heard him singing the song that is played over and over again on tv; the song that goes "Terima Kasih, ku ucapkan pada mu..." while mopping the floor that we arrogantly walk on. It occurred to me that they might truly be grateful for having a chance to work and earn a living here in Malaysia. It is only unfortunate that the ones that are giving them this chance is the government that we have, BN, and they intend to use them for their own ill intentions.
And I thought to myself could we have been so easily manipulated if we were them? Then I remembered a posts on fb by some grateful Malaysians thanking the Japan government for giving them free education while our own government couldn't. It then further occurred to me that we are equally as manipulable; only on a different level.
For that, I am deeply sorry.
And then there are few more political related articles that I read and it was a little too informative for me to digest. The Corridors of Power. Politicians pulling the strings like this is a game.
"Azmin slams Pakatan".. another food for thought.
I may not understand political scenarios that well. But we have a mandate to not only help bring awareness and unity. We also have a mandate to spread the love of God.
If I have lost my sense of humanity, then what is the point of fighting for a better future.
God bless Malaysia.
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