But before I start the story of my eye-opening and uplifting experience, I think I need to explain just a teeny weeny bit about what the ISA is. ISA stands for Internal Security Act and basically, it's a law that allows the government to detain anyone, anywhere in the country, if they are believed to be a threat to the peace and/or security of the country and this can be done WITHOUT a trial. It was put in place after Malaysia gained independence with what I am sure were noble intentions but is now grossly abused.
I have always been a 'fence-sitter' on this issue of whether or not the ISA should be abolished and sometimes, I do believe that it can serve a good cause. But after going to this gathering, my mind has changed somewhat. So maybe there is some good to being able to evoke the ISA (look at what's happening in Thailand with the riots) but the current ruling government has been misusing it on innocent people whose only crime is to have a voice. We know that in Asian countries especially, there isn't really such a thing as 'freedom of speech' because no matter how free the press and people may seem to be to speak their thoughts, there's always a degree of censorship involved. And so if anyone does happen to 'cross the line' in terms of refuting certain government policies or laws even if it is just an innocent citizen speaking his or her mind, there is the chance that they may be arrested under the ISA and detained without a trial.
So now about the candlelight vigil. I had no idea what to expect. I'd been told by my aunt that it was just going to be a crowd of people (holding candles, duh) listening to other people speak. We walked to where the crowd has started gathering and waited. I looked around excitedly because I'd been told that even though these people had obtained a permit from the MPPJ to hold such a meeting, there were still Special Branch policemen working undercover to just monitor the atmosphere. It all seemed so exciting to me!
Slowly, more and more people trickled in. There were parents with their little children, senior citizens, and everyone else in between; there were lawyers, engineers, bloggers; Malays, Chinese and Indians; all gathered in one place and all for one cause - to voice out their opposition to the ISA. And then I was pleasantly surprised to see Raja Petra himself strolling down the road towards us!! What a coincidence that I was hoping to see him in person and that he actually showed up!
Then the speeches started. Every week different people volunteer to speak, though there are a few regulars who have something new to say each time. And anyone at all is allowed to come up to the mic to say a few words (or more!). I must say that compared to all the school events that we used to be forced to attend to 'instill in us a greater pride for our country', this one short gathering did just that and so much more. I really felt the passion and pride that everyone at the vigil shared for OUR country. I felt proud that there were people like this who were strong-willed and brave enough to speak out even when they might be risking their freedom in doing so. We listened to people like Raja Petra talk about his experience in the detention camp and listening to all the other people explain what it is about the ISA that they so strongly oppose and hearing them tell us why we should be resourceful enough to be in the know as far as our country is concerned and be proactive enough to come out and vote during the elections and in doing so make sure that we are making an informed decision to choose which party to vote for.
The people gathered at the candlelight vigil were not anti-government. They were just voicing out their opposition to the ISA and touching on other things that they felt were wrong with the country and asking for something to be done to address them. It was all done in a peaceful and orderly manner with no malice or anger towards the government. And just seeing all those people who had sacrificed so much of their lives to try to make Malaysia a better place made me that much prouder to be Malaysian. I was only there for this one vigil while everyone else had already been for many more before me. And the bloggers who write frequently about these issues on their blogs and who're aware of the possibility of them being arrested under the very law that they oppose - I don't think I'd have the guts to do anything near what all these people do.
So now, I am nearly not a 'fence-sitter' anymore. Nearly. Hehe.
Some pics from the gathering:
From the top: Raja Petra giving his speech; my plastic cup candle lantern thingo; the crowd at the vigil.
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