A walk in the stadium (or The taming of BERSIH)

BLUNDER OR COUP? Did Najib Razak make a mistake when he offered the organisers of BERSIH to hold their so-called Yellow march in a stadium? Was he ill-advised? Has the Prime Minister unwittingly provided Anwar's Ambiga an avenue for 100,000 people to throw tantrums in the name of clean and fair elections on July 9? 

Some people think Najib bungled. Among the PDRM top brass even, some felt the government should have let the police do their job because the police were not going to give two hoots about your right to march if that right is going to cause havoc on the streets and jeopardise public order and safety. Some of the anti-BERSIH people also thought the PM was becoming soft. Letting Ambiga have that audience with the YDP Agong, too, was seen as a blunder.

I, however, am of the opinion that Najib has actually pulled off a major coup. Two reasons: 

1. He has gotten BERSIH, a potential organiser of massive rallies, to agree that "walking" in a stadium is the right thing to do compared with marching on the streets. This is a precedent of sorts which future Ambigas must follow. 

2. Some of  her lieutenants have advertised Stadium Merdeka as the venue even though the stadium's people have said NO. But whether it is Stadium Merdeka or the beautiful Shah Alam stadium, it does not matter because the "sting" of the BERSIH walk is gone. The minute Ambiga agreed to have the walk in the stadium, she has agreed to terms and conditions of the stadium (even if the stadium is located in Selangor or Penang, where the state governments are openly pro-BERSIH). And those of us who walked in BERSIH 1.0 in 2007 know that there is no way, now way at all, that the sea of yellow on the streets of KL which triggered the political tsunami of March 2008 could be replicated or repeated within the confines of a stadium.

I'm sure Ambiga and gang know that they've been cornered. Check mated. They need to start the walk outside the stadium in order to save the walk. But no need to sulk Alternatively, as I'd suggested much earlier on Twitter, they could try to organise a massive concert in the stadium to help convey the message. If Sweet Charity or Blues Gang plays, I'd pay to take part in the walk in the stadium.

M.A.L.A.Y.sians

An Anas dreamscape

Letting down Anas Zubedy. In his latest posting The Malays are Malaysians, too, 1race advocate Anas Zubedy poured his heart's content with regards to how screwed up some of his fellow Malaysians are. It's something more and more Malays in this country are discovering about SOME of their non-Malay countrymen/women. When a Malay speaks up for them, the Malay is considered a true Malaysian but when the same Malay tries to do the same for his own race, he is considered something else.

... I suggested that as the NEP has helped many Malays out of poverty, we should have a similar policy for the Indian poor, too. I stressed that zakat should also be channeled to all who are poor, not just Muslim poor.Again I was lauded as a good and true Malaysian. 

But a while ago I decided to speak on behalf of the Malays, explaining what hurt them most, what they consider sensitive in an open letter to YB Lim Guan Eng and the DAP; showing them a way to the hearts of the Malays … 

… suddenly I am chauvinist. 

Is it not ironic? While the first 5 letters in Malaysia reads M.A.L.A.Y. some among us forget that the Malays are Malaysian too.

Read his posting, H E R E.

At least Anas sounds more sad than bitter. That's good. I hope the new-found wisdom will drive him to push harder to that elusive Malaya and now Malaysia race. If you'd like to show him your support, please go h e r e to leave comments.

"Yang dikejar tak dapat, Yang dikendong berciciran"

The Agong has spoken. Lu orang baca sendiri lah. Yang tak faham simpulan bahasa, Bernama ada bagi terjemahan tapi mungkin tak berapa tepat ...