Glad to be part of Bersih 3

Before my hubby and I left home for Bersih 3, my son cautioned his dad :"Pa, be careful. Sometimes you just don't know what these people are going to do." 

We assured him we shall take good care of ourselves.

With brother, sister-in-law and neighbors at Kelana LTR station at 10.20am. 

We came in a group of 8. 

The first VIP we met at the Pasar Seni station was our national laureate A Samad Said!

Then we caught a glimpse of Niza, ex Perak Menteri Besar. We quickly ran behind him to take a photo together.

At that point, I really felt as if I was in a carnival...or a "Bersih" Theme Park. 

A photo with my beloved hubby at the Petaling Street. 

老公，多年以後，我們可以回顧 “那些年，我們一起走上街頭的日子。”

I took this photo from the first floor of a restaurant. Long queue to use the toilet :-)

We noticed crowd started to disperse at around 3pm and so decided to take a train home from the Masjid Jamek station. 

About 10 min after we left the station, someone tweeted that police was firing tear gas and Masjid Jamek station was closed! It was so unbelievable because before we left, the crowd was well behaved and it was very peaceful. We were indeed fortunate because if we were to leave slightly later, we would have suffered from a nightmarish experience.  How I wish everyone could go home safely...


Sadly, what my son said to his dad had come true..."sometimes you just don't know what these people are going to do..."

UNGGUN BERSIH

Semakin lara kita didera bara—

kita laungkan juga pesan merdeka:

Demokrasi sebenderang mentari

sehasrat hajat semurni harga diri.

Lama resah kita—demokrasi luka;

lama duka kita—demokrasi lara.

Demokrasi yang angkuh, kita cemuhi;

suara bebas yang utuh, kita idami!

Dua abad lalu Sam Adams berseru:

(di Boston dijirus teh ke laut biru):

Tak diperlu gempita sorak yang gebu,

diperlu hanya unggun api yang syahdu.

Kini menyalalah unggun sakti itu;

kini merebaklah nyala unggun itu.

24—25, 6.11. A. SAMAD SAID

Clean Bonfire (translated by someone from the ‘Unggun Bersih' by A Samad Said)

Abused by embers, we're all getting ill -
to call out to the message of independence,
We manage still democracy,
as brilliant as the sun yearning for the desire of sincere self-regard.

We've long been restless - democracy is wounded;
we've long been wounded - democracy is ill.
A supercilious democracy, disgusted us;
A strong voice of liberty, we desired!

Two centuries ago, Samuel Adams exclaimed
(in Boston where tea was poured into the blue sea):
We don't need a loud fluffy cheerleading
What we need is just an eminent bonfire.

Let's light up that sacred bonfire;
Let's spread out that sacred flame.

No matter what, don't lose faith!
Hand in hand for a better tomorrow!