UPDATE 9 DEC 2007: 10 BERSIH people arrested
I go off to Miri and Mulu a few days, and a mega event like this happens.
And I don’t know about it till late, because the mainstream newspapers superbly downplay and discredit it! Well, they have their print licence to think about… One wrong word, and no more The Star, New Straits Times and so on!
On Nov 12, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak tells the press that street demonstrations are not-part of Malaysian culture… Conveniently whitewashing the history of Malaysia that was strongly influenced by UMNO street protests.
Then on Nov 20, Government Enslaved Media mouthpiece The Star praises the police violence as ‘handling the protest with tact and finesse’.
But it must be said that The Sun bucks the trend by printing this response:
to this piece of trivial fluff:
Fair elections > Facials!
Meaning, if we didn’t have blogs and online independent news… We wouldn’t know about goings on in our own capital city!
Methinks it has VERY MUCH to do with the embarassment to the establishment that not everyone in Malaysia supports the status quo over the concept of justice-and-fairness-for-all.
That and the over-the-top police brutality against unarmed, orderly, peaceful civilians.
Here are some links for info on this event:
UPDATE 28 Nov 2007: What did I say about the ISA?
Wikipedia on Bersih Rally (intro to what the Bersih Rally is, info, pics and links)
Chongeng.org, with Al Jazeera video of police violence
Darnmalaysia, Masjid Jamek police violence (Kenny Law personally recounts getting water/chemical cannoned and tear gassed despite no marchers causing trouble)
Kakiblog on Bersih Rally (first-hand testimony and pics of being tear-gassed for being not violent)
Jeff Ooi on How They Painted It Yellow
Bersih.org on police efforts to esclude marchers (since yellow is the colour symbolizing the event, anyone wearing a yellow raincoat is stopped by the police roadblocks! See pic at very bottom of this post for SATIRE!)
Whatalulu on a Bersih and a love story
Whatalulu’s personal account (contrast the official mainstream media report with the pix)
Whatalulu on security non-threats
Whatalulu on the Bersih Rally, with pics
Cherwith: BERSIH (10-11)Many Faces
Susan Loone: Bersih: What did I tell you about the King?
Susan Loone: Bersih: running dogs and angry sultans
Elizabeth Wong: Rakyat pantang dicabar!
Dr Hsu: Michael Backman on Malaysian Truth and Justice (reposted article by Michael Backman, ‘Truth and justice are no longer Malaysian way’)
Light Documents: Kuning dan Bersih
Video links:
Youtube of tear gas use (tear gas canisters fired at marchers… And flung back at police. Did anyone take a canister home as a souvenir?)
Youtube of water cannon use (water cannon unleashed on marchers)
Youtube of water cannon use on Al-Jazeera (Al-Jazeera coverage of water+chemical cannon and more, same as embedded in the chongeng link earlier)
Youtube of FRU violence (Malaysiakini montages of Federal Reserve Unit violence, including a slow-motion shield bash at 1 min 50 secs)
Youtube of Zainuddin Maidin embarassing himself (our revered Malaysian Information Minister, Zainuddin Maidin, gives an interview to Al-Jazeera. Did I say interview? I mean TOTAL RANT while on automatic gear! He rails against the foreign media for only showing the side of the protests that he doesn’t like, instead of a balanced view. Hello, sir? You already have RTM as can be seen below! His logical justification: the rally is illegal because there are elections, heavy-handed methods used because it’s illegal)
Youtube of RTM version of above self-embarassment (Malaysia’s RTM report of what transpired between Zainuddin and Al-Jazeera, in Malay. According to RTM, the police handled the protest WELL! When the demonstrators refused to leave, the police ‘allowed’ them to march on to the palace and submit their memorandum. No mention of the police violence against non-rioting demonstrators. And apparently, Malaysians are laughing at Al-Jazeera’s reporting… Not our high INT, high WIS level Minister’s performance! Followed by said Al-Jazeera interview. Much blurrier than previous link)
Home of the Shrimpy Baron!!: Another Idiot Minister makes a fool of himself and Embarasses the Country (video embed and transcript of Zainuddin’s interview, with embarassing bits highlighted. Also more examples of his previous nonsenseness.)
Berita Berita: Transcript of Malaysia’s Information Minister’s interview with Al Jazeera News on the Bersih Protest (another Zainuddin interview transcript, cleaner but less lolzing.)
And some pics from various sites, including the above links. Those don’t look like just 4000 peoples!
So who do you believe?
The official Government and local mainstream media, which portrays the Bersih Rally as illegal and thus justifying tear gas and chemically-laced water cannon, small, comprised of only Opposition parties, exploiting children and the King, troublesome for city-folk who get delayed by the marchers, largely unimpactful, and blown hugely out of proportion by the alternative media?
Or the blogs, online news and foreign media, which portray the Bersih Rally as within legal rights but denied a police permit based on political influence, comprised mostly of NGOs and ordinary concerned citizens, peaceful and orderly, manhandled by police use of disproportionate force advocated by the ruling politicians (whose police roadblocks and rescheduling of public transport were the real cause of city-folk delays), largely impactful, and covered-up, smeared and downplayed by the mainstream media?
Decide for yourself.
Meanwhile, emboldened by the silent approval of disproportionate and violent response against opponents as shown by the government-controlled police, UMNO members start taking violent oppression into their own ‘hands’ too.
From Kereta Merah via Mushroom Ali:
Translation: Do you know this man? WANTED by the Malaysian Government for being yellow.
Wakakakakaka! Yellow Coverage Fellow (aka Digi Man) should be instantly recognizable to all Malaysians. Info at here for foreigners.
Tags: 2007 Bersih Rally, democracy, Government Enslaved Media (GEM), Malaysia, Malaysia chemical water cannon, Malaysia police violence, Malaysia tear gas, Malaysiakini, media bias, Opposition politics in Malaysia, peaceful protest, people power
THE SCOTTTCAST 
November 15, 07 at 1:22 pm
Actually the term local “Main Stream Media”, is something of a misnomer for it actually presumes the populace’s worldview is upheld by it.
In fact it functions merely as a slavishly pro-government mouth piece under the thumb of the power- that-be. So, in effect, the term, MSM, is definitely too inaccurate – it has no functioning independence.
November 15, 07 at 1:27 pm
How’s the term ‘Main Slave Media’ work out then? Keeps the same MSM acronym. I’m sure you guys can think of other alternatives.
November 15, 07 at 2:05 pm
I’m taking the lead of another blogger, Susan Loone, and I am now calling them government-owned media. That seems to be more appropriate.
November 17, 07 at 7:09 am
If you need to puke, save on an emetic, buy a copy of these offensive spin media.
November 17, 07 at 9:19 am
news about unit amal…
they gave a very good job on the Bersih Day .. and 10 of them was arrested and need to report again at Dang Wangi police station next month. All of these 10 unit Amal members are from outside Klang Valley and thus, Unit Amal is conducting a donations to help these 10 to cover their cost to come to KL. further info, please go to this link…
10 Unit Amal ditahan 10 Nov; bantulah meringankan beban
http://www.tranungkite.net/v6/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=4576&mode=&order=0&thold=0
November 18, 07 at 3:15 pm
It is sad to see that the rally ended up chaoticly last week. Based on the history of street demonstration in Malaysia particularly since Anwar era nearly all forms of planned demonstration or rally ended in clashes with the police. Well its indeed a good idea to use this platform to send the messages across. But the problem is that people would probably get themselves hurt or killed. Thats why im of the opinion that street protest is not the best solution to this matter. Its so sad that the NGOs and the Oppositons used this opportunity to manipulate the ordinary people for their own agenda. All this while street prostests have resulted in displeasure and inconviniences to all city dwellers and business establishments. So by the end of the day the situation end up chaotic and whats more? The oppositions stand to lose more seats in the election.
November 18, 07 at 3:24 pm
Agreed, the ordinary newspaper-reading Malaysian will be less inclined to vote for the Opposition, especially after the way the Government-Enslaved Media (GEM) portrayed the Bersih Rally as an illegal gathering of hoodlums and rioters.
What do you think of the GEM acronym for the local media, Kenny? Catchier than GOM, and has a subtle reference to the gems of objective news that bloggers pick out. The enslaved part because frankly, even the most anti-establishment minded editor has no choice but to obey the decrees from up above.
November 18, 07 at 3:36 pm
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November 20, 07 at 8:25 am
[…] wonder when the ruling party has previously used dispropotionate force against peaceful citizens – including tear gas and chemical-laced water […]
November 20, 07 at 3:58 pm
Hahaha! I like that – “government enslaved media”. Thanks for the round-up of events on Bersih. It’s really helpful 🙂
November 20, 07 at 5:52 pm
highlander1208: “It is sad to see that the rally ended up chaoticly last week”.
Huh??
Which protest were you at? The imaginary one reported by Star, NST and other MSM?
We dispersed in high spirits. Loads of people even posed for pics with FRU and loads more took happy pics, before proceeding to Malaysia’s other favourite past-time – Tea!
November 21, 07 at 8:24 am
Hehe, thanks 🙂
Well if I can’t be the first, or the best, or even originally different… I can still play a role by recycling pics and info ad nauseam.
I think the term ‘enslavement’ is suitable because even if some in the media are reluctant and unwilling to play along with the govt, they have no choice if they want to keep their heads… I mean, headcount. Real life enslavement can be similarly involuntary.
November 21, 07 at 2:38 pm
Hi elizabethwong
Well i read “Malaysiakini” , and jeff ooi’s blog and i read the so called “government enslaved media”. Well sorry if i am wrong.Thanks for correcting me. I just witness from their reports and made my own judgement. Forgive me if i was wrong to make that conclusion.
November 21, 07 at 3:40 pm
Totally understandable, highlander. If we didn’t know where to look, all of us might be suckered in by the one-sided portrayal of the Bersih Rally by the subservient local media.
Likewise, don’t believe most of the politically-biased crap that comes from the liberal US media, such as on global warming, the situation in Iraq and basically anything on this planet. Links on that:
November 21, 07 at 3:51 pm
“government enslaved media”
That’s a GEM which is not. LOL! They ‘re there to stone you with their ensless spins.
Wnen is that call to boycott it – for false news? 4,000 marchers!
November 21, 07 at 3:52 pm
“endless” spins, i.e.
June 30, 12 at 9:08 am
[…] general elections is the best way to influence change in this country for the better – not Bersih rallies or HINDRAF rallies (despite how impressive they may be and how over-reactionarily the government […]
January 9, 15 at 4:24 pm
[…] 1) Youtube of Zainuddin Maidin embarassing himself (our revered Malaysian Information Minister, Zainuddin Maidin, gives an interview to Al-Jazeera. [scottthong.wordpress.com] […]