One Small Misstep For Me, One Giant Leap For Malaysia

#KL112 at Stadium Merdeka

Swollen ankle ><

#KL112 was a day to remember. It was a day, for the 2^nd time in Malaysian history, more than a million citizens gathered together peacefully, none other than to prove that they could do so.

It was also the day, I sprained my ankle.

Let’s just say I learnt my lesson that I cannot multitask very well, especially taking photos while walking. Stepped right into a hole covered with grass, tripped, fell flat on my face, got hurriedly up hoping no one noticed, and hit my head directly on a signboard. Typical.

From left: Lina, me, Elfort, Josephine and Hoay Ying

But, putting aside my twisted ankle for the moment, everything went as well as could be hoped for; people came in groups, from all sectors of life, regardless of religion, race and age, wearing the symbolic colors of mostly yellow and green, including my friends and I.

The police maintained order without resorting to violence, only using their smartphones to take photos and videos; vendors were making brisk business selling chilled drinks, T-shirts and paraphernalia; people were posing for photographs everywhere!

#KL112 a success

The festival-like atmosphere was simply amazing; you could sense the tremors of thousands of pairs of feet marching both inside and out of the stadium. It was a sight to behold indeed. The song 'Do You Hear The People Sing' from Les Miserables cannot ring truer than on the 12th of January 2013 for all Malaysians. It was a day when the people of Malaysia joined in the crusade to demonstrate peacefully and make a change.

At the end of the day one thing was clear: Malaysia had a future, after all.

It was also during this period of time when a certain video went viral in Malaysian cyberspace. Its contents were of a lady cutting short a student in the middle of her speech and went on to verbally shame her in public. This infamous video was blogged about, tweeted, shared on Facebook to almost all corners of Malaysia and the lady was lambasted by many for her rudeness. 

To clarify certain issues regarding the video, the student Bawani KS held a press conference at the Chinese Assembly Hall on the 18^th of Jan. In it, she requested that the masses quit calling for the lady aka Sharifah aka Kak “Listen Listen Listen” to apologize to her. Instead she called upon students to stand up for their own rights and said that the people should not idolize her as she wanted to remain on the same level as everyone else, as equals. http://shar.es/4PZYS

Bawani & me :)

As a member of the audience, it was awe-inspiring to listen to her as I could really hear the sincerity in her voice. Indeed Bawani KS is a down-to-earth, modest young lady who despite her small stature, has a big heart and brave spirit. Her never-say-die attitude inspired many young people in Malaysia to step up and voice out for themselves, lighting the spark of hope for Malaysia’s future.