#Bersih 3.0 birthday

It was my birthday.

 What started out as my trip to the city to fill my stomach with brunch, ended up as a meaningful day to connect with my beloved Malaysia. Doing Honours in Walter and Eliza Hall Institute has left me with little time to catch up with Malaysian politics. I shouldn't be bothered with Malaysian politics? I am still a Malaysian in my heart. It's a sense of belonging that no one can take it away.

Initially I wanted to have brunch on my own. There I met William Ng; I joined them to the rally at Federation Square.

Bersih is now in version 3.0 in such a short time frame. I wondered why. Lack of action since last year has brought the movement to a new level. I remembered chanting about "Fair and Clean Elections NOW" last year. The message was loud and clear. I clearly remembered the eight demands made for a level playing field. After one year, what have we got? Usage of indelible ink. I can laugh, one demand met out of eight is better than nothing at all? The crux of Bersih is to conduct a fair election right from the heart. It's useless to leave the exterior of a cup clean while leaving the interior filthy. The government has showed signs of giving in to the demand but I see no sincerity in their move. It's all but window dressing.

If so much the current administration fear fair and clean elections so much, they must have so much to hide.
So they hide behind the cloak of authority.

I was touched by a speech that mentioned about staying overseas and never come back, considering that the country is going down the drain. The truth is, the country is literally going down the drain. If it's not demanding for a clean system now, it's never. We have to do our children a service now. Now.

Back home, the significant landmark called Independence Square was cordoned off. The people are colonialized by their own government. Not one managed to set foot on the square. Independence was refused to the people.

Our independence lies in the humble ballot on polling day.