KUALA LUMPUR – In the aftermath of the Reformasi movement in 1998, many of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s supporters were left bloodied in street clashes with the authorities.
While it wasn’t Anwar’s first call for street rallies, the public had taken to the streets in the capital here in a show of anger after he was sacked as deputy prime minister by his boss, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
As a student activist in 1974, Anwar was often credited as one of those who rallied the crowds to take to the streets in Baling, Kedah, to champion the fate of tappers following the fall of global rubber prices.
It didn’t help that, months prior to Malaysia’s Reformasi, Indonesia had witnessed its own watershed moment – Era Reformasi was triggered by the collapse of the Indonesian economy, and riots in its cities ended with the resignation of president Suharto.
The two Reformasi movements were proof that just one man can be a catalyst for political upheaval, uniting groups and factions under a single cause.
It would take another nine years before Malaysia witnessed another mass rally. This time, it was to protest against allegations of corruption in the country’s election system.
Starting out as the Joint Action Committee for Electoral Reform in July 2005, Bersih (the Coalition of Free and Fair Elections) was formalised in November 2006 as an umbrella movement for 84 civil society groups. The coalition was spearheaded by Maria Chin Abdullah from the Women’s Development Collective (WDC).
It galvanised opposition political leaders and civil society representatives, and they urged Malaysians to gather at Dataran Merdeka here on November 10, 2007. Protesters were told to don yellow T-shirts, and it was estimated between 30,000 and 40,000 people took part, despite tear gas and water cannon deployed by the government.
Many demonstrators and opposition leaders were arrested in the crackdown after.
The move was later credited as the cause behind the political shift in the 2008 general election, when Barisan Nasional, under the leadership of Datuk Seri Najib Razak, failed to secure a two-thirds majority for the first time since 1969.
Bersih had since called for rallies in 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2016, with the recent rallies being less violent and seen as a show of solidarity for certain causes.
This brings us to the fourth of a six-part series in collaboration with Fat Bidin Media, which is on a campaign to counter and prevent violent extremism.
The Vibes intends to answer this pertinent question, “Are politicians the catalyst for extreme violence in Malaysia?”, by speaking to personalities, politicians, activists and prominent thinkers, in a series that runs every Friday at 4pm. – The Vibes, June 25, 2021
Read the previous parts here:
Part 3: Rakyat have come a long way in navigating political turbulence
Part 2: Why the things politicians say matter
Part 1: Are politicians’ vindictive, race-based tactics weakening nation’s foundation?
Preview: Are politicians the catalyst for extreme violence in Malaysia?
