FACE OFF |
A Reformasi Diary by Sabri Zain |
When anger overcomes
fear![]() October 17th, 1998 ![]() Even Mahathir, before going on his junket to Japan, warned his loving citizens that "certain groups" were plotting "chaos" in the country - which many seriously took as a warning that he would use any ‘chaotic’ situation as justification to take more brutal actions against all those who would like to see him go and not come back. Many still remembered the police assault on the village of Memali many years back and the people killed - coincidentally, at a time when the PM was away in China on another junket. The danger signals were all there. Even Reformasi supporters warned people to take a ‘break’ and stay away from Jalan TAR today. Everyone had thought it was called off and nothing was going to happen this Saturday October 17th. Perhaps, today, my shopping could proceed undisturbed!
There seemed no way of getting to Jalan TAR on foot.
It was as though the whole length of Jalan TAR was off-limits. I could see traffic still moving along the road - but the pavements were strangely clear of pedestrians. We decided to try our luck again at the junction in front of the Coliseum cinema. Again, at least two dozen policemen barred the way. An officer sternly told us to turn back and continue our shopping elsewhere. I protested that my significant other and I were looking forward to the Hindi movie matinee today. The officers stern frown turned into a smile, as though he saw right through my small deception. "Don’t bother," he said. "All the tickets are sold out today!" We pressed on towards Campbell Road - I couldn’t believe that they had enough manpower to block every road and alley along Jalan TAR. Traffic was also still flowing on the road - so there had to be an opening somewhere.
The time was about 5 pm. Someone must have been distributing pictures this time, because the courtyard and stairs leading up to Sogo were jam-packed with people waving pictures of Anwar Ibrahim. Coloured ones, photocopied ones, even magazine covers. The social reform magazine Aliran must have done a roaring business today because I saw hundreds of copies of their new October issue on Anwar being waved about at passing motorists.
The banners had a life of their own. They were moved up and down, swayed left and right, the demonstrators even passed them along the line of people down the road, so that everyone could see them. The banners were then passed up the line again back to the junction!
And of course there were the regulation cheers of "Reformasi!" and the shouts of "Mahathir undur!" ("Mahathir resign!"), as well as the singing of ‘Barisan Kita’. The crowd certainly cheered and sang much louder than last week. Perhaps this was because there were so many people concentrated upon that junction - all of the side roads were blocked by police and FRU trucks, and people were packed into every inch of sidewalk space that was left. I couldn’t even move further up the road from my vantage point outside the Haagen Dazs at Sogo, there were so many people squeezed together. The pace was certainly a lot livelier and faster than last week. Perhaps people thought that the police were this time going to break up the demonstration at any moment, and they wanted to say as much as they can, as loudly as they can, in the little time that they had.
When we first arrived, few of the cars were honking in support at the demonstrators. Last week’s convoy appeared to be missing - after all, most people thought there wouldn’t even be anybody at Jalan TAR! But within half an hour, the honking was incessant - frantic handphone calls spread the word that Jalan TAR was in the hands of the people again! A small convoy of superbikes roared by, revving their engines in support, until they sounded like thunderclaps. There was even a bright orange school bus full of eager teenagers, clapping and showing the thumbs-up at the pedestrians. They must have just come back from a trip to the zoo or something, because almost all of them had cameras and were busy taking pictures of the revelling demonstrators.
Soon, more and more people within the crowd repeated the same process. Within half an hour, my little crowd was chanting and cheering as loudly and as wildly as the people on the pavement! The silent majority eventually found the courage to be silent no more.
Standing next to them was an elderly Chinese man reading, of all things, a copy of the Islamic Party Opposition newspaper Harakah. I never thought I’d see the day. Perhaps the young man was right. It’s funny how many friends you meet at these ‘shopping’ excursions. I met a local journalist friend of mine, who remarked on seeing me "Out shopping again, Sabri?!" I coyly asked her why she bothered coming since not a word of today’s protest was going to come out in the government-controlled papers anyway. She could only respond with a weak smile, slightly embarrassed.
It came to a point where my significant other even remarked that a one -year old boy on his father shoulders was observing me with great suspicion! A gentleman standing in front of me certainly mistook me for a reporter. He turned around, saw me writing on my notebook, then suddenly remarked, "Hah! You see 10,000 - but perhaps you’re writing down 1,000!" I quickly assured him that I was not a newspaper journalist, but I was taking notes down to tell people about what happened over the Internet. His stern demeanour rapidly turned jovial, and he laughed saying, "Good thing you’re not a reporter, I was about to give you a piece of my mind just now!"
At about 5.50 p.m., there was suddenly a loud roar from the crowd and everyone surged to the middle of the street. At first, I’d thought that the police had finally charged and people were running away. But they were not running away from the street - they were running towards it. Then I saw her - it was Anwar’s wife, Dr Wan Azizah, waving at the crowd from a passing vehicle! The crowd went wild! Within seconds the road was engulfed by a sea of people and the cheers of "Reformasi!" roared louder and faster! I could see people weeping in joy - some were in a daze as though they couldn’t believe their eyes.
By this time, the whole road was lined by FRU and police - it was like a guard of honour welcoming the people’s convoy! But the officers certainly did not look very welcoming. While everything had been peaceful and disciplined so far, I was still not sure if we would be attacked at any time. At about 6.40 p.m., the crowd dispersed for evening prayers. We had another appointment at the Central Market, and my significant other remarked it was going to be a tiring walk there. We passed by a group of FRU officers packing their shields, batons and tear-gas guns into a police truck and getting ready to move off somewhere else. My significant other quipped "You think we could get a lift from them?!" I remarked that we’d probably end up some place we would rather not want to be.
As the crowd moved along Jalan TAR towards the mosque, the pavement was full of people except for a particular spot along the road which, strangely, people seemed to avoid. As I got closer to the spot, I could see why. Someone had spilled a plastic bag of sambal chilli (chilli paste) on the floor. It was just an ordinary bag of chilli. But it looked like something far more sinister splattered all over the floor. Perhaps people just avoided it, not wanting to think the unthinkable, of what could have happened that afternoon. Yet, again this week, people had shown that threats and fear could not silence their discontent. As a friend I met on that walk said, "We’ve always been afraid of the government. But the anger’s gone well beyond fear now."
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