Tuesday 29 May 2012

Students Did Build The Momentum Towards BERSIH 3 - A Response to FOS Johor (Updated)

Students Did Build The Momentum Towards BERSIH3 - A Response to FOS Johor

By S.Arutchelvan (Secretary-General of PSM)
29 May 2012
(Updated Editor's Note and Picture)

S. Arutchelvan made comments on the 'anti-PTPTN and Free Education' action of a group of disillusioned students, which could hardly be acceptable (refer media statement released by FOS Working Committee on 19 May for details).

[Editor's Note] This article is from the Secretary-General of the Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM), S. Arutchelvan in response to the media statement entitled "428 Sit-in Protest - Its implications and positive significance" released by Friends of Suaram (FOS) Working Committee Johor on 19 May.

As per email request from S. Arutchelvan, FOS Working Committee Johor decided to post the response article on this blog, for the benefit and reference of readers.

When Arul's response article is published on PSM's website, FOS Working Committee Johor does hope that our full media statement released on 19 May would also be published together, for the study and comparison purpose of readers.

Appended below is the full text of the response by Arutchelvan:

I would like to respond briefly on the Statement made by Friends of SUARAM working Committee dated 19 May 2012 : 428 Sit-in Protest- Its implications and positive significance Statement by Friends of Suaram Working Committee .

I refer to the following comments which has been singled out by the committee in a dramatic way which I find it to be malicious and out of context and does not gel well with the other parts of their analysis.

The Students have raised the bar in our democratic struggle”. He made the following comments which could hardly be acceptable:

“Few may realise that the student 'anti-PTPTN and free education' rally on 14 April 2012 is going to be a significant event, … the students declared that they were going to stay put or occupy Merdeka Square up to 28 April, to greet BERSIH 3.0; the Student occupy movement seems to brighten our days leading to BERSIH 3.0.” (Note: “our” here refers to Arutchelvan and those who advocated “Occupy Merdeka Square”).

The obvious mistake made by this PSM leader and the supporters of “Occupy Merdeka Square” was that they regarded as truth what they had observed, as if the public shared their views, and was prepared to act on them. This is an effort in futility!

Despite their good intention to merge both the May Day Celebration and the students' “Occupy Merdeka Square” rally into one, for the purpose of liberating the Merdeka Square, it came to naught.

Let me first clarify that the observation made by the Johore Friends of SUARAM not only does not paint the right picture of the actual situation leading to BERSIH3, it totally ignores what really took place in KL. It seems that the Committee who are based in Johor completely did not get the right scenario on what was happening in Kuala Lumpur on how this student’s action did motivate many people.

When BERSIH announced Bersih3, there was a sense that it was not catching fire and this is also due to the lack of reaction from the mainstream media as well as the police. Most people including the BERSIH steering Committee were very worried.

Everything seem to change when hundreds of students (not dozens) marched in Kuala Lumpur calling for free education. The students numbering between 500 to 800 went all round KL in a spirited manner. It was not a bunch of Malay but a there were students from different races who marched in Kuala Lumpur and declared that they will stay put until Bersih3.

The first person to get excited and release a sms to all groups were Hishamuddin Rais who was in charge of the mobilisation committee of BERSIH3. So the BERSIH3 steering committee indeed did see the student as an important catalyst to the huge mobilisation leading to BERSIH3 unlike the FOS group in Johor.

Every day since 14 April, leading to Bersih3, there were hundred of people who gathered every night (not a bunch ful), people came from other places outside KL and many also from other states came to Dataran Merdeka to support the students. University students from other states also took turns to occupy Dataran. There were many outside students who came a few days and stayed at Dataran Merdeka in solidarity. There was also a day, a bus of students who came from Kelantan to join the students at Dataran

Every night there were ceramahs attended by hundreds of people at Dataran Merdeka. The numbers kept increasing by the day until April 28.This really built the mood and the spirit towards BERSIH3.

Besides that, these student leaders also went all over the country during this period to talk about their role and to urge the people to come to Dataran Merdeka on 428. I think the Suaram Johor FOS is perhaps confused with another group which is called Occupy Dataran whose picture is posted in their story. This group also played a significant role but I was talking more about the students who occupied Dataran.

The student’s actions definitely did built the momentum leading to BERSIH3. In a big gathering in Kampong Baru a few days before BERSIH3, attended by many political party leaders and NGO leaders including Samad Said. Each and every speaker spoke about the bravery of the students including Pak Samad who urged everyone to attend the BERSIH3 rally. The student leaders also got tremendous applause each time they spoke. They brought fresh spirit to BERSIH3. In ceramahs leading to BERSIH3, the students brave move to occupy Dataran was used as an example for others to come and attend 428.

So the students action was admired by many and who came to support them. The numbers of people gathering every night at Dataran was increasing by the day, the students themselves played a role and were taken all over the country to rally support and many used them to motivate others to come. So definitely their action is not isolated in a small square as being portrayed by the article by FOS.

The students created such a momentum that it even people like Anwar Ibrahim, Kit Siang and Muhamad Sabu and many other key political leaders found their way to Dataran Merdeka to support this initiatives. If the students role were so insignificant, I do not see why so many significant people took time off to support them.

It is my believe that many young people who attended the BERSIH rally actually support the students and got motivated by the students. I think the public in large shared the aspiration of the students. Using the new social media, young people are well connected via facebook and twitter.

Therefore our views (PSM) and feeling were always grounded with the real situation on the ground. What the students did was just to built momentum but they cannot take the credit for the whole success of BERSIH3 where many other factors are involved. I think for FOS to suggest PSM has a grand plan or design to detour the original BERSIH plan is a bit farfetched and a bit mischievous.

When I mentioned that the students raised the bar in our democratic struggle, it seems there is yet another confusion by the FOS working committee. Prior to the students demonstration, most people in Malaysia normally have demo for a few hours and disperse. This has been the trend in recent years.

The students have raised the bar because they wanted to stay longer and it was now a protracted struggle because they said they wanted to stay put. This is what I meant by raising the bar.

There has been many discussion among groups that the level of people participating in struggle have yet to reach the height in Thailand, Indonesia and recently in Egypt where people stay put for a long period of time. Here it is nothing like that but the Students have put a challenge to new groups. Their method was an anti thesis which should not be taken lightly.

What I said should be seen in that right context and should be properly understood and interpreted by the FOS rather than taking a hastily put conclusion on what I said. Since the students have occupied, I am now seeing more groups are seeing demonstration as not just a few hours activity but rather a protracted struggle. Recently Paycon workers took similar steps and wanted to stay until they meet the Human Resource Minister. While I write this article, there is a group camping at the fountain at Brickfields in a hunger strike and it is day three and in the coming days, the Bukit Jalil plantation workers are also planning to occupy the Prime Minister office.Therefore the student action has created a new challenge to groups who want to conduct demonstration.

Credits should be given to the students who have raised the standards. They have made many Malaysian especially young people come to 428 as well as made many people think.

Having said that, PSM has always taken the position of peoples movement and we were very much involved in mobilisation as well as leading the BERSIH 3 movement. Just because PSM gave credit to the student movement, It is quite malicious for FOS to portray and say as if PSM believes in small group action or we read the situation wrongly.

On for the record, there was lots of coordination between the BERSIH committee and the May day committee. The May Day committee at all times felt that BERSIH Committee being the biggest democratic movement in the country should call the shorts. So any conspiracy theory being said by FOS is totally false and does not reflect what happen on the day.

The BERSIH committee on 428 decided not to break the barricade. This was a collective decision. My view has been if a vote was taken, people would have agreed to get into Dataran Merdeka not in the intention to occupy it but rather to prove peoples power. If the leadership of BERSIH decided to move into Dataran the other day, they would have achieved this but because that was not part of the plan, it was not executed.

PSM mobilised buses of people on that day. Never did we tell our people to bring tents to Dataran because that was not the plan. Never did the party issue any directive such as that. Being involved in mass movement work, we are not so naive on objective and subjective conditions.

Dataran Merdeka will definitely be liberated in the future. Syabas to the young students who played a significant role in building the momentum to BERSIH3. A movement cannot be built in an abstract situation and there are many factors leading to it. Our role is not merely to interpret the world but rather to change it.

S.Arutchelvan

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工委会议决:将徐袖珉除名

人民之友工委会2020年9月27日常月会议针对徐袖珉(英文名: See Siew Min)半年多以来胡闹的问题,议决如下:

鉴于徐袖珉长期以来顽固推行她的“颜色革命”理念和“舔美仇华”思想,蓄意扰乱人民之友一贯以来的“反对霸权主义,反对种族主义”政治立场,阴谋分化甚至瓦解人民之友推动真正民主改革的思想阵地,人民之友工委会经过长时间的考察和验证,在2020年9月27日会议议决;为了明确人民之友创立以来的政治立场以及贯彻人民之友现阶段以及今后的政治主张,必须将徐袖珉从工委会名单上除名,并在人民之友部落格发出通告,以绝后患。

2020年9月27日发布



[ 漫画新解 ]
新冠病毒疫情下的马来西亚
舔美精神患者的状态

年轻一辈人民之友有感而作


注:这“漫画新解”是反映一名自诩“智慧高人一等”而且“精于民主理论”的老姐又再突发奇想地运用她所学会的一丁点“颜色革命”理论和伎俩来征服人民之友队伍里的学弟学妹们的心理状态——她在10多年前曾在队伍里因时时表现自己是超群精英,事事都要别人服从她的意愿而人人“惊而远之”,她因此而被挤出队伍近10年之久。

她在三年前被一名年长工委推介,重新加入人民之友队伍。可是,就在今年年初她又再故态复萌,尤其是在3月以来,不断利用部落格的贴文,任意扭曲而胡说八道。起初,还以“不同意见者”的姿态出现,以博取一些不明就里的队友对她的同情和支持,后来,她发现了她的欺骗伎俩无法得逞之后,索性撤下了假面具,对人民之友一贯的“反对霸权主义、反对种族主义”的政治立场,发出歇斯底里的叫嚣,而暴露她设想人民之友“改旗易帜”的真面目!

尤其是在新冠病毒疫情(COVID-19)课题上,她公然猖狂跟人民之友的政治立场对着干,指责人民之友服务于中国文宣或大中华,是 “中国海外统治部”、“中华小红卫兵”等等等等。她甚至通过强硬粗暴手段擅自把我们的WhatsApp群组名称“Sahabat Rakyat Malaysia”改为“吐槽美国样衰俱乐部”这样的无耻行动也做得出来。她的这种种露骨的表现足以说明了她是一名赤裸裸的“反中仇华”份子。

其实,在我们年轻队友看来,这名嘲讽我们“浪费了20年青春”[人民之友成立至今近20年(2001-9-9迄今)]并想要“拯救我们年轻工委”的这位“徐大姐”,她的思想依然停留在20年前的上个世纪。她初始或许是不自觉接受了“西方民主”和“颜色革命”思想的培养,而如今却是自觉地为维护美国的全球霸权统治而与反对美国霸权支配全球的中国人民和全世界各国(包括马来西亚)人民为敌。她是那么狂妄自大,却是多么幼稚可笑啊!

她所说的“你们浪费了20年青春”正好送回给她和她的跟班,让他们把她的这句话吞到自己的肚子里去!


[ 漫画新解 ]
新冠病毒疫情下的马来西亚
"公知"及其跟班的精神面貌

注:这“漫画新解”是与<人民之友>4月24日转贴的美国政客叫嚣“围剿中国”煽动颠覆各国民间和组织 >(原标题为<当心!爱国队伍里混进了这些奸细……>)这篇文章有关联的。这篇文章作者沈逸所说的“已被欧美政治认同洗脑的‘精神欧美人’”正是马来西亚“公知”及其跟班的精神面貌的另一种写照!




[ 漫画新解 ]
新冠病毒疫情下的马来西亚
"舔美"狗狗的角色

编辑 / 来源:人民之友 / 网络图库

注:这“漫画新解”是与《察网》4月22日刊林爱玥专栏文章<公知与鲁迅之间 隔着整整一个中国 >这篇文章有关联的,这是由于这篇文章所述说的中国公知,很明显是跟这组漫画所描绘的马来西亚的“舔美”狗狗,有着孪生兄弟姐妹的亲密关系。

欲知其中详情,敬请点击、阅读上述文章内容,再理解、品味以下漫画的含义。这篇文章和漫画贴出后,引起激烈反响,有人竟然对号入座,暴跳如雷且发出恐吓,众多读者纷纷叫好且鼓励加油。编辑部特此接受一名网友建议:在显著的布告栏内贴出,方便网友搜索、浏览,以扩大宣传教育效果。谢谢关注!谢谢鼓励!












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