Wednesday, December 31, 2008

For thinking the unthinkable and daring to achieve it, Malaysiakini proudly declares that its Newsmaker of the Year is…

THE RAKYAT

BARISAN RAKYAT


They found unity in the diversity - everyone was pissed off but for different reasons, and there was no dearth of deep-seated, festering complaints:

  • the spike in fuel prices and knock-on effects on the cost of living, while ministers continued to enjoy all-expenses paid holidays;
  • the perceived unfairness to non-Muslims caught up in cases of conversion to Islam;
  • the recurring episodes of crass, even crude, remarks in Parliament by those elected to represent the people;
  • the perceived persecution of the Catholic community over the use of ‘Allah’ to mean ‘God’ in the Bahasa Malaysia version of their newsletter, which almost lost its publishing licence, and the confiscation of Bibles;
  • the continuing fallout from rhetoric over ‘Malay supremacy’, bumiputera rights, racist remarks and racially-divisive politics;
  • the litany of grievances in Sabah, where locals alleged they were in danger of becoming strangers in their own land because of ‘favoured’ immigrants; and
  • the constant leakages from the national coffer, from the disappearance of savings in reduced fuel subsidies to the unholy haste to invest in indelible ink that could not be used.


The hammer-blows fell with telling accuracy on a ‘selfish, heartless, arrogant, ineffective, greedy and inconsiderate’ BN government led by the sleep-deprived Abdullah.

In January, a group of disgruntled young Malaysians even handed him a pillow and bolster, in recognition of his all-too-frequent ability to catch 40 winks in the middle of official business.

And still Abdullah was oblivious to the shift in sentiments - perhaps he believed a little too much in his pantang dicabar brand of governance and politics.

The final nail was supplied by Barisan Nasional component parties themselves, which imploded over a squabble for plum seats ahead of the general election on March 8.

All this while, the opposition front avoided pitfalls of the past and presented the public with a plausible alternative. Their veterans and newbies drew mammoth crowds to their ceramah nationwide, coaxing voters to shed inhibitions and embrace a ‘new dawn’.

The Year of the Rakyat

As with the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) and the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) in 2007, the general election of March 8, 2008 stamped the arrival of a new force in Malaysia.

In this, the Year of the Rakyat, Malaysians were shaken awake from deep slumber and kicked out of their comfort zone to make a conscious choice that, in turn, has shaken up the status quo.

YOU, the defiant, threw out the rotten, the corrupt and the inept in an election that was nothing short of inspiring.

YOU, the fearless, continued to press for reform and speak up against discrimination and injustice.



YOU, the marginalised, showed up with a six-year-old’s handwritten letters, teddy bears and roses to appeal to the better nature of those who have locked up husbands and fathers. When outlawed, you have refused to disappear.

YOU, the outraged, have turned up - some with young children - at weekly protests and candlelight vigils against the Internal Security Act, risking arrest in the process.


YOU, the supportive, wore T-shirts declaring ‘I’m with RPK’, paraded these before watchful eyes, and stood with blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin in his darkest moments of captivity.

YOU, the imaginative, gate-crashed the biggest party of the year - the UMNO ministers’ Hari Raya ‘open house’ - to take your message to the highest leaders of the land.


YOU, the fed-up, protested the hike in fuel prices in your thousands and later, the fatwa against tomboys, albeit in a smaller number.

YOU, the brave, stood against bulldozers and barricades for days on end, resisting the demand to pay toll charges.









YOU, the indefatigable, cycled for 16 days from north and south to Kuala Lumpur, campaigning for attention to unresolved issues and impending concerns, in the face of police harassment to the last






(Allow me here to take the liberty to quote a comment I made at the end of my posting of Monday November 26 2007. This was how I ended my posting, angry of course):

YOU GASSED US, YOU BATHED US IN CHEMICALLY-LACED JETS OF WATER, YOU MAN-HANDLED AND ARRESTED OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS.
IF YOU WON YESTERDAY, JUST REMEMBER OUR DAY WILL COME, COME THE GENERAL ELECTIONS.
THAT WILL BE OUR DAY!



YOU have all sent out the unequivocal message that you are no longer spectators, but movers and shakers of the nation.



YES!


YOU ARE INDEED


WORTHY RECEIPIENTS


OF THE


NEWSMAKER OF THE YEAR AWARD





WISHING ALL YOU PEOPLE WHO MADE THIS HAPPEN
A SUCCESSFUL 2009!

GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

GO ! tell it on the mountains,
to everyone & everywhere,
GO ! tell it on the mountains :
LET THE PEOPLE GO ( free ) !!

sing it, ppl, GODBLESS & happy 2009.
(cin2tan)

de minimis said...

zorro

Have a Happy New Year. A little tipple never hurt any one :D You are truly the conscience of the country.

Anonymous said...

Dear Zorro,
This is to wish you and everyone out here the best for the New Year2009
Our will to fight the minds that refuse to see the truths must go on stronger by the day .
Thank you for all the selfless efforts all of you put in the vigils. My heart goes out to all of you. I wish I was nearer!
We must take KT with a good majority!
GOD Bless All .

Anonymous said...

Zorro, Wishing you & your family a blessed new year! Keep it up for the seniors!

Anonymous said...

Very deservingly so. No contest choice. The rakyat must be the winner. Not Barisan. Not Pakatan actually. Not any political goon or cow. Definitely not in Putrajaya. The Malaysians as a collective wholesome. We all must get together for the common cause. No religion, no racial cards and no polarisation of whatever form. All for one and one for all.
malsia1206

Anonymous said...

Waaahhhhaaayyyyyy.....to go Zorro-unmasked!

Taking the opportunity now to send you these three three-star cheers in admiration and respect for your talented kick-ass posting gestures.

Thanks for the entertainment and please continue kicking more deserving butts in 2009 okay!

So it's:

HIP HIP HOORAH*** for Zorro-unmasked aka Bernard Khoo! x3

And here's wishing a HAPPY and success-laden NEW YEAR to you over there from those watching from over here!

WE SAY YEAH! :) AND HARIS FOR AG & RPK FOR IGP! GO FOR DSAI FOR PM & LKS FOR DPM & KIND WAN AZIZAH FOR HOME MINISTER!

Suggested 2009 Resolution: Seek out all garbage and recycle or dispose.

Anonymous said...

happy new year... brother

wish you another good year ahead!

The fight has just started, more work to be done in 2009!

Sklau said...

HaPPy NeW YeAr Don Diego de la Vega, and may your struggle and that of all right minded Malaysian be rewarding and fruitful in the year of the Ox.

Anonymous said...

Zorro, the New New Year will be meaningless without expressing my gratitude to you for allowing us to share your thoughts and compassion. You are a fine man.
A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR! May our Lord guides us in these trouble times. May the good men overcome the evils.
May you have a fruitful New Year!

chong y l said...

dear mGf zorro: thanks for a GOoD recap; offer thee tehtari' as I'm stealing my own energy so as not to raise the other CPI/inflation and cut down on minuscule leakages from petronas' billllllion daylightrobbery of Rakyat's resources.

Anonymous said...

Yes, Barisan Rakyat, you cried FREEDOM.

You have won the battle,
Now go for the final war.

Anonymous said...

tuahyong said......

ZORRO!!

With the Be End and Amno "fucking" the Rakyats left and right, and unlike the peoples' power of our neighbours , Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines those living in the corridors of power in Malaysia are having a "good and happy time" screwing the Rakyats instead of "us" screwing them.
When are we going to "overthrow" them and show our "Makkal Sakhti"
I hope some kind soul can organise these movements.

Anonymous said...

to the 11.6% in KT : dun be takut pada PAS ( i a cina too !) = show the bn dun play2 with we babicinas !
when you need our support u give honey & butter/roti !? BUT if u have won the byelection, u 'll say we r the ' pendatang lah, squatters lah, u the master & we the slaves lah ...
...lagi & lagi ',...no no NO to bn on the 17th, ok !!

Anonymous said...

Dear Uncle Zorro

It is YOU and those of your ilk who inspire US to 'happen'. You lead us down the path which is the best to follow. May 2009 keep you safe and strong to continue leading the rakyat in the fight against corruption and injustice. Happy 2009 to your and yours!

Anonymous said...

Happy New Year Sir. You have been steadfast up to this date to all that you taught us in the sixties. A Salute to you Sir.
From: Class of 1969 @ La salle Sentul.

Anonymous said...

You have my support for whatever it is worth. In 2009 we must have more sunshine on our government.

Anonymous said...

no...no...NO to the bn fler on the 17th !!

Anonymous said...

Hi Zorro

Wishing you a blessed and meaningful 2009! Please continue to strive for a better Malaysia!!