“Ma, you do realise that there’s like three rallies out there, right?”
“I’ve scheduled this facial last month and there’s no way I am going to cancel it.”
9th July was not a typical Saturday.
Saber-rattling between the ruling BN government and the Bersih movement for free and fair elections led to a tense stalemate. Was Bersih going ahead with its 300,000-man march across KL after the King had deigned to meet Bersih leader Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan? Will there be clashes with the UMNO Youth Patriots and Pro-Malay PERKASA counter rallies?
It did not help that the national Opposition were chomping at the chance to align itself with Bersih, lending credence to the Gov’s claims of Bersih being Opposition-led, despite Datuk Ambiga’s admonishing of Datuk Seri Anwar for trying to speak on Bersih’s behalf. Bersih was all over the news and it showed: the day before, jams had started to form and policemen with water cannon trucks started to line up the Merdeka Square.
I was lounging around the house deciding on whether I should snoop around the Bersih, Patriot and Perkasa rallies when my mother came in to say she’s going to the KLCC for her facial.
“And you know there’s no way to get to KLCC with all those road blocks, kan?”
“We’ll park at Ampang Park and ride the train.”
She would have waded through a million people - Nothing is going to get between her and her Kanibo.
The road was blocked all around and so we parked and rode the train from Ampang Park. Despite the train being the only means of getting into KLCC, there was a small crowd there but it was emptier than what it would have normally been. No queues at the cinema, barely anyone at the fountains and you actually could get seats at the foodcourt without having to ransom anyone.
As mum and aunt went to their facial, I boarded the train to Masjid Jamek.
A relatively empty KLCC
A crowd was already gathering at Masjid Jamek consisting of mostly onlookers and riot policemen. The feeling was not unlike the pre-match of a rugby game or backstage before a play; there was a quiet, orderly commotion, where everyone seems to be prepping up ahead of something big.
Scenes from the Masjid Jamek station, around 11 am.
In the distance, I could make out a few more truckloads of riot policemen and water cannons.
As I was walking around taking low-resolution pictures with my Blackberry, I bumped into an old acquaintance of mine from the UK. He was heading to Pasar Seni where, he was told, a large crowd was mustering.
“Wanna come along?”
“Sure, why not?”
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