IGNORANCE # 8

Know Your Rights and ask for it.

 

Show your anger and discontent with the way the Home Ministry and the police are handling protestors. It is very sad and troubling that certain opposition political figures are only occupied with BN/UMNO bashing, "we told you so" and "why we are a better alternative" and disregard, or try to distance themselves from the issues and plight of the street protestors. The demonstrators came out and risk their livelihood and future; much more convincing fight for justice than distant rhetorical government bashing. By abandoning the plight of the street protestors we are actually indirectly agreeing to the claim that they were violent and could even possibly have been paid.

The lack of concern and political backlash against the police for their treatment of such Tian Chua and Malik Hussin, only manage to show the public apathy and "tunggu dan lihat" or rather "tunggu pilihanraya" attitude. It also shows the lack of concern and demand (again an example of low expectancy democracy ) for individual rights and freedom. By staying silence, we are indirectly condoning police's brutal actions and take beatings and harassment as a normal part of the system. It’s like saying "memang macam tulah…apa nak buat?". It is not suppose to be like that and if we know our rights we should be able to demand them. The more timid and the less people exercising their rights, the more unchecked will be the police and the sooner or later we all would succumb and say that beatings and harassment are "lumrah hidup" or a fact of live in Malaysia.