Three protests in two days. What a way to spend the weekend here in London. Somebody better suggest to the British Tourism that they should list protests in their tourist calendar.
And why not? As my friend and old colleague JJ reminded me recently, England is a nation which has been described as the “Mother of Democracy.
JJ’s comment was in response to my Facebook posting on Saturday.
It all started when I was on my way to watch a musical, The Bodyguard, at the Adelphi Theatre in The Strand on Saturday afternoon. It is based on the movie which starred Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner. Watch it if you get a chance. Heather Headley has a fantastic voice, maybe as good as Whitney.
Anyway, I was on the opposite side of the theatre and I saw police outriders in the distance. Malaysian that I am, I assumed they must be escorting some stupid VIP.
Wrong! They were clearing the way for a group who was protesting against the government’s new health policy. It was a big group, as the procession lasted over 30 minutes.
Wow, I was thinking to myself: “This is what freedom of expression is all about.”
This reminds me of the time in Hong Kong when Malaysians there organised a protest in support of the Bersih campaign for free and fair elections. I was told the organisers did not have a permit for the rally but instead of arresting them, the Hong Kong police advised them how they could carry on their protest if they followed certain guidelines.
That was protest No 1.
After my musical, I walked past the Zimbabwe Embassy where a group of the citizens were staging a protest against President Mugabe. This protest was on a smaller scale but more colourful, with music and dancing.
The police, on this occasion, stayed in a van which was parked at a discreet distance from the protestors. There was no threat to evict the protestors from England, unlike what is being done in a certain country.
Protest No 3 started at the Malaysian High Commission at noon on Sunday. There were a few hundred Malaysians there and the theme of the protest was “My country was robbed today. 5 May 2013.”
Besides students, there were also old timers who brought their children along, some in prams. I talked to one lady who said she had been in England for 23 years. Some came from outside London for this protest.
This is a loose group and from what I could gather, they were mostly Pakatan and Bersih supporters.
Many of them had taken part in the earlier Bersih protests. They are linked by Facebook and that’s how they managed to get this group together even though it was a last minute event.
There was a small police presence but they were there just to monitor the situation.
“We just have to inform the police, there is no need for a permit,” said one of the guys who was helping the organisers to ensure an orderly procession.
From the High Commission, the group marched by Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and Parliament. The group stopped near Parliament Square where there were chanting of demands for fair elections, an end to corruption and racism.
From there the group moved to Trafalgar Square where there were speeches to explain to interested onlookers what the protest was all about.
The group was proud of the fact that they managed to secure the right to vote here in England after years of campaigning. Only 1,200 were registered for this general election, but the organisers are hoping to get the remainder of the 100,000 Malaysians in the UK to sign up in time for the 14th
general election.
One speaker acknowledged how lucky Malaysians are to be in UK where there is a right to assembly and freedom of expression. The group pledged support for Malaysians who face eviction from Singapore for taking part in a protest.
“Stop arresting students” was another rally chant in reference to the remand of student activist Adam Adli under investigation for sedition.
The protest rally ended at 3pm with the announcement that Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng will be addressing Malaysians at the LSE on Friday and will be present at a fund-raising dinner on Saturday.
Whenever people talk about democracy, I am reminded about a remark by King Frederick the Great of Prussia. “I have come to an agreement with my subjects. They are free to say what they want and I will do what I want.”
King Frederick was somewhat of a dictator. They all were at that time.
However in this day and age, I know of some so-called democracies where they throw you in jail for speaking up.
Or you can get evicted from the country where you are working in for complaining about your own government.
Let’s hear it for good old England.