If you are a Malaysian living overseas, we are looking to hear from you!
Do you have a story to tell?
What does Global Bersih mean to you?
Why will you be going for Bersih 3.0 at your city?
How do you feel about being denied your overseas vote?
Write to us in about 500 words in the comment box below.
I am not a Malaysian but I am married to a Malaysian and both my children were born in Malaysia. We have been members of a Bersih group in Perth, Australia for the past year. It all started before 709. We had been keeping an eye on what was happening in Malaysian politics and really felt that it was time the country had a different government. We knew that corruption was the root cause of all Malaysias problems and the country was controlled by an elite few.
We were so impressed by the younger generations determination to make a better future for themselves and the future generations of Malaysians. It was now evident that the countries polls had always been tampered with and that is why BN had won 2/3 majorities every election. The country was on the verge of bancrupsy and the government was overspending whilst the people were struggling to make ends meet. Something had to give. The peoplewanted democracy in its true sense and not just a token.
We joined the rally on 709 at the Malaysian Consulate in Adeliade Terrace, Perth. There were over 100 people who turned up to support the cause. Many of these were Malaysians affected by the blatant descrimination and lack of good education back home. They were migrants who had found a home here so that there children could have equal rights and a brighter future. Some were students, some tourists and some just concerned Malayians who wanted to be a part of his new movement for change.
I must a dmit I was really surprised to see my husband taking up this cause with a passion as years before he was jus a fence-sitter with a “tidak apa” attitude. Now he was shouting Berish with all his heart. I was very proud of him. My children did their bit too even though they had not lived in Malaysia for more than 5 years. it was still their birthplace and they felt strongly that all people should be equal and that governments should take care of their people rather than their own selfish needs.
It was a great day and it filled us all with a great sense of pride that we had taken the initiative to voice our concerns. I have always taught my children to stand up for their rights to whomever is trying to control them. Their willingness to help their fellow Malaysians back home is highly commendable in my book. I hope this encourages many more people to write about their experiences for the Bersih movement. I would really like to hear your stories.
I suppose I can be “branded” as a Malaysian that once held 0% interest in politics and love for the country. I always had the belief that as long as I can stand on my own 2 feet, as long as I can excel academically, I will be able to succeed in this highly globalized arena whereby Malaysia is not the only stage where I can perform in. I never had much love for the country much as the country does not have much love for me.
I studied in Australia for my 3 year degree. I also planned to migrate there, stay there, and die there. Having met people from various backgrounds and nationalities made me felt highly embarrassed to be a Malaysian. Everytime a foreigner asks me about my country, the only comments I can remember back then were all highly critical. I even remembered telling a Korean girl that our Proton car qualities were only as good as Milo tin cans, nothing more.
This all changed after having a chat with an Indonesian girl who overheard my criticism about my country. She was 17+ back then. Yet, she was able to change my life and views completely.
I remember she told me that this is the country that I grew up in. No matter how bad it has treated you, this will always be your home. Irreplaceable memories grew from it. Unforgettable friends were made there. Our families are there. Our teachers, neighbours, and everyone else that we love, are still there. Yes, Australia is a better country to live in. A higher income, an easier lifestyle, and a more promising career. But will you be satisfied? Will you be content, living in a foreign land with no roots?
Though 3 years younger than me, she was able to think more maturely. I felt highly ashamed after that, realizing how cowardly I was, I began to ponder upon my actions. For many nights before closing my eyes to sleep, I began to think about my past, my memories and my friends. Yes, those were sweet memories. I remember the tough times that I had went through, the silly things that I did, the sad or even my painful moments.
Looking back, these are the experiences that I can share with my friends, make a laugh about it, and felt great to have live through life in this way. This is the fun-painful times that I too wish my future children will be able to live in. To have a life that I once had, to have a place that they too can term it their one true home, and when they reach my age, talk about it with their friends, and too, smile at it.
My plan was to always run away from this problem. Never once have I thought of facing it. However, the advice I was given by the girl also made me realize how fortunate I was to have an education, more so one from a prestigious university. It made me realize that if I can stay abroad, who is going to take care of those that I love that are still stuck in the country? Not all my friends and relatives are fortunate as me. Some failed to even enter college because they were just not gifted academically. Who is going to take care of them, if not people like me? More importantly, who is going to take care of my parents while I am gone?
All these thoughts changed me completely. It made sad to realize how much of a traitor I was not just to my home, but to my friends and families as well, for having even the slightest thought of abandoning them by moving abroad.
Fortunately, it was not too late to repent on my mistakes. Awakened Malaysians, pushing for a true democracy along with politicians that are fighting against the current government, provided a shed of light to what was once a completely dark cave in my world. There is hope, as long as more people realize how much home truly meant to them. This is why there is Global Bersih today, to unite all Malaysians to fight for their home. It is time that we stand up together, if we want a better future for everyone.
To end this, I would like to just share a simple thought. It was told to me by a (different) girl during one of my depressing moments. “Why is it human nature to remember their bitter memories better than their happy ones? Because it is also human nature that we continue to never stop searching for our happy ones. Would you like to join me and search for a happy future together?”
When I was a young lad, perhaps nine years old, we used to have family gatherings, sitting on the naked floor listening to all kinds of stories that my mother or my aunt or even my grandma would tell us.Some of these stories would frighten us because it would be centred on ghosts and others on relatives and friends and their misfortunes and etc., etc..The favourite of all these yarns was those that related to the Japanese Occupation of Malaya and that was how the story related to my grandfather came to our attention.
You see, my grandpa was a China-born individual whose love for his country of birth was unquestionable and so when he heard that the Japanese had invaded his beloved homeland,he was one of the first to volunteer to go back and fight the Japanese!!Consider how my mother put it,”Your stupid grandpa went back to China to fight the Japanese and he was someone who did not know at which end of the gun the bullet would be fired even!!”Our jaws dropped in astonishment and eagerly waited to hear what transpired.My mother uttered in sheer embarrasment,”He died and you all know how?…the engine that he was repairing fell and crushed him under the truck!!”We burst out laughing because we thought he died like a hero in a hale of Japanese bullets and this laughter lasted for a few weeks and every time our grandpa’s name was mentioned.
Today….I LAUGHED NO MORE!!!It took Bersih and all those who marched in Bersih 2 especially,for me, to realise that one’s love for one’s country evokes the greatest of emotions, as there’s no other place on earth, that one can call your own.My grandpa is to me a hero,he was indeed a true PATRIOT, and if my mother is alive today, I will surely correct the misguided notion that he was a stupid man, having died in vain. No,no, he so loved his homeland that he gave his life in the way that he knew how, and that was to repair truck engines used in the warfare.You see, my grandpa was a mechanic and that was his contribution to the defence of his homeland..he needed no ability to shoot, to defend his homeland!!
Of what relevance is this story to Bersih? Alas, I am unable to ‘dudok bantah’ as my age does not permit me to do so, but like my grandpa I need not be there physically…I can still contribute the way that I know how…
I can make a humble donation and this I did and I am so proud for doing something for MY MALAYSIA!!!!
HIDUP BERSIH, HIDUP MALAYSIA!!