‘Street Rally Guide For Beginners’
Ground zero? / Source: http://www.travelfish.org
A Malaysian friend of mine caught glance of a
great piece of social media flutter today on Facebook that is just
begging to be posted here. Suaram, a
human rights organization in Malaysia, has published a ‘Street Rally
Guide For Beginners’ just in time for the much-trumpeted Bersih 3.0 sit-in protest planned for Merdeka Square this Saturday.
Last June, Bersih 2.0 (the second of the
Bersih protests) rallied 10,000 to 20,000 people in downtown Kuala
Lumpur — though numbers vary even more than that — clogging major roads
which led to clashes with government forces who used high-pressure water
hoses and tear gas to disperse the crowd. Bersih (‘clean’ in Bahasa
Malayu) protests began in ’07 when the group first began calling for
election reforms and transparent democracy.
Perhaps wielding a bit of foresight for the
events that lay ahead, Suaram’s comprehensive (and at times comical)
guide offers basic safety tips and sensible advice for protestors. If
you plan to join the Bersih protestors (or any rally for that matter),
do yourself a favor and scroll down through the selection of pages I’ve
taken out of their guide.
Never know when those running shoes will come in handy
Police will appreciate the fresh breath too
Watch the old folks... Not much different than being in a Chinese tour group
Don't stray from the herd. Haven't you ever watched Animal Planet?
Think zen
Beware of gas
Beware of water too
If it's 'UM - NO' -- then walk away
Be obdurate, be vague
And most importantly... Stay vigilant
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