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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 October 2015
On 12 January 2013, an estimated 100,000 Malaysians managed to pull off the latest in a series of demonstrations in the country's major city, Kuala Lumpur. This time, it went practically without a hitch.
There were none of the clashes with police that had marred the holiday atmosphere that the two most recent mass rallies – Bersih 2 on 9 July 2011 and Bersih 3 on 28 April 2012 – nevertheless had.
It has not escaped the notice of Malaysia watchers that these congregations have been not only peaceful in essence; they expressed most poignantly an optimism that carried with it a sense of disbelief. This disbelief is accompanied by a sense of purpose as well, of course. It has all happened rather suddenly—thus the incredulity. And peacefully—thus the hope.
In future years, when enough time has elapsed and enough changes have taken place in the country, commentators will connect these rallies more tightly together than we do today; and they will perceive what in effect is a history of how public space – restricted for so long by draconian laws and by threats of racial violence – was gradually regained in Malaysia.
The fact that the government of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak quickly claimed that the rally went so smoothly was due to the success of his reforms, testifies clearly that even the establishment knows what needs doing.
With this, the risk of street violence in the event of an opposition victory in the coming elections should be small. The peaceful demonstration strongly implies that a peaceful change of government is totally possible.
In most cases, when individual desperation explodes into action, there is no sense of long-term purpose, only an immediate release of frustration.
Such was the case in Tunisia when the vegetable seller Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire on 17 December 2010 after being deprived by police officers of his only means of livelihood.
In Malaysia, things have not been even close to being as desperate for most people as was the case for this poor Tunisian. The torment has instead been a psychological one; one that was slowly eroding the individual's sense of justice and dignity. For that is what institutional racialism does, when applied for so long. It diminishes the soul.
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