The Eve of 26th Aug 08

What can I say about my trip to Kampong Baru along the old Bukit Mertajam trunk road or an upgraded road now, it was simply awesome, and it was electrifying with hordes of people everywhere. Cars being double or triple parked on both sides of the road either causing a slow moving traffic or a massive jam. It didn’t stopped three of us, Maya, Kishen and I to waver through the crowds moving towards the “Ceramah” makeshift stage.

After parking my car some 2 km away from Kg Baru we walked towards the main ceramah area.We just followed some Malay folks through the Kampung area walking through some kampong houses and all of us ended up at someone’s door step, only then we realized that those folks whom we followed were actually heading to their respective homes not to the “ceramah”. Some 20 people stood in the dark looking for a way out of this dead end! We were laughing at ourselves for making a fool out of ourselves remembering a famous idiom “A blind leading a blind” lead us nowhere. Doesn’t it sound familiar with our current leadership…oops.Finally someone managed to find a narrow alley between two kampong houses and we squeezed through the pathway towards an open space.

We saw the whole place was swarming with people of all walks of life and the ceramah stage was no where insight! Maya one of my colleague was bold among us and said let’s inch slowly towards the stage. As we were walking slowly towards the stage I could see some business minded individual took advantage of the situation and set up stalls offering snack, drinks, DVDs, books, T-shirts and many more souvenirs for the visitors to make some extra cash during this testing economic situation.

I remember some time ago the BN government’s call for national integration; I wonder how they are progressing? Here I saw people of all races standing shoulder to shoulder in the rain listening to the speakers. I found that I was sharing my big umbrella with a Malay and a Chinese man without even speaking to them thus cherishing the moment of being rakyat Malaysia.

When we reached closer to the stage I could hear someone speaking and I didn’t know who it was and asked the chap who was standing beside me and he mentioned it was Saudara Lim Guan Eng, the honorable Chief Minister of Penang. He sounded somehow different last night compared to the famous or infamous debate with Dato Seri Koh Tsu Koon, the ex CM of Penang as I sensed that he was speaking from his heart rather than a prepared manuscript. I remembered “Journalism 101” or how RPK have said it “Its elementary Dear Watson” and I was touched when he admitted that he did not dream that he would become the CM of Penang as this is something that the people of Penang gave him and he’ll be forever hold that responsibility high in accordance with his party's motto CAT. Please remember that Dear CM as it was the rakyats' decision to bring change and you are their representative armed with authority and accountability to bring good governance to the state. Democracy is by the people and for the people!

Saudara Lim Kit Siang, Saudara Zahrain Mohamed Hashim , Saudari Chong Eng and Saudari Wan Azizah spoke while the crowd was anxiously waiting for Anwar Ibrahim to arrive. From time to time when some VIP makes his or her way through the crowd, we can hear the chants of “reformasi…reformasi” and the crowd would chatter that it was DSAI making his way to the stage only to our disappointment. Few occasion I joined in the chants but Anwar was nowhere in sight. Finally at 11.pm there were cries of “reformasi..reformasi again, and the crowd were turning their sight away from the stage where Wan azizah was speaking and wondering if it is true that Anwar finally has arrived nevertheless I was bit skeptical. It was then Wan Azizah mentioned that Anwar Ibrahim is making his way through the crowd a deafening cry of reformasi echoed. The noise silenced her speech and I saw among the crowd the man himself making his way through.

Poor Wan Azizah had to stop her speech in order to give way to her husband the stage as she vacated her MP position for him. She appealed to the crowd to be quite so she could end her speech with a note of thanks to the people of Permatang Pauh.

When Anwar took over the mike, it was something else, there was a total silence and he spoke as usual that kept the audience very attentive. One thing that strike a note to me was when he gave the assurance that he’ll have good governance once he takes over the government by giving equal opportunity to talents irrespective of race.

This was when I felt that finally I was accepted as Malaysian irrespective of the colour of my skin but to the character and talent that I hold. Interesting I may have heard such speeches by BN leaders before but it didn’t strike any chord on me yet yesterday I bought his story stock, log and barrel. That reminds me of the blogger Haris Ibrahim’s “Dear Anwar” mail which was famous for quoting Anwar “I may forgive but I will not forget”! Like wise Anwar, always remember your promise.

The crowd slowly dispersed as I walked back to my car in the drizzle, I was feeling upmost peace with my self, for reasons that I could not put a finger to. As I drove home with my two buddies while they were sharing this nostalgic moment that may write a new chapter in our Malaysian history I could envision a new dawn in the horizon. “Makkal Shakti” or Ketuanan Rakyat may not be a distant dream after all...god bless Malaysia.