As a follow up to my previous post, I would like to now tell you about my visits to the ceramahs (pre-election political speech) of both Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (Harapan).
by Sargunan Sockalingam
As it turned out both BN and Harapan had their ceramahs on opposite corners of Lucky Garden, Bangsar. I congratulate BN. They must have known that reception would be poor, yet they kept to the adage, the show must go on. Either the candidate was there and I missed him, or he did not show up, due to other commitments. But the 2 young men who spoke in his place did a great job. Since this is about BN, let me tell you these guys were Malay. I was impressed. They spoke well, and caught the attention of the audience. They spoke about the importance of GST and the various projects with China. They even had a Q&A, and I, along with other members of the audience asked them questions which they fielded skillfully. Poor chap got stuck when I asked him about the rushed Delineation and Anti Fake News bill. But to be fair, he is no politician.
The Harapan Ceramahs. I went for 2. USJ and Lucky Garden.
The photos you see on the internet, the crowd? Oh, they are real alright! The numbers were impressive. Probably 1500 both times. So the numbers are impressive, and won't translate into votes? That's not the point here, Boss.
I worked in Sabah for 4 years. Have you been to Sabah? It's such a beautiful state. Sure, gorgeous sights, but here, I am talking about the people. In Sabah, everyone is equal, regardless of race or religion. I will never forget the Chinese New Year celebration in my friend Albert's family home in Kiulu. I could describe so many more, but I think you know what I mean. The true Spirit of Malaysia. Richard A. Gontusan. A special shout out to you, buddy.
And there it was, again in the Harapan Ceramahs. Perfect strangers, saying hello to one another. Smiling and taking photos. All races, all religions. And across economic divide. Young people. Children. But most important of all, the complete respect shown by the organizers, for Bahasa Malaysia. Truly it is the language of unity. Everyone wishing each other well. Of course, good command of English was everywhere, and when required, you could hear Mandarin/Cantonese/Hokkien. Everyone united in their quest for a better Malaysia. And it didn't matter, if you are Indian, or Malay, Pagan or Muslim. We are one. We are Malaysian.
And of all people to be moved. Critical, cynical, academic me.
Drones flew above us, capturing moments that will surely go down in history, as large voluntary gatherings of Malaysians never seen before. The music came right on cue. Those light up the world selfies, I don't know when I will experience that again.
These were no ordinary speakers' corner forays. The organizers were technically adept and well prepared.
The subject matter covered was varied and filled with facts and numbers. I caught Azmin Ali's amazing and inspiring Taman Medan speech on Facebook Live. I said hello online to my bro Jc Nasution Peters. Not once, did I hear any reference to race. Harapan spoke to Malaysians. And the message I got, was that Harapan speaks for ALL Malaysians.
I left these ceramahs with a feeling of euphoria, I have never felt before.
Pakatan Harapan. The Alliance of Hope. Anak Malaysia ini ingin mengucapkan jutaan terima kasih.
Kepada Rakyat Malaysia saya ucapkan Selamat Mengundi. Please stay safe when you travel to your respective polling stations.
Source:
https://www.facebook.com/drguna/posts/10156182941940479