1Black Malaysia at the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall

Wong Chin Huat told the audience at a forum organised by the youth section of Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall that a police had told him that he was a nobody when they were asked to detain him. The officer said he was neither a political leader nor a member of parliament.

This is precisely why I have said the Najib administration and the Home Affairs Ministry run by his cousin, Hishammudin, have made a tactical blunder to detain Wong under the Sedition Act. All Wong did was to ask the public, especially Perakians, to wear black as a sign of protest against the controversial power grab Perak.

His minuscule and poorly attended press conference was held to launch "1Black Malaysia: Democracy First. Elections Now" two days before the March 7 state assembly sitting. Some of the PR leaders who appeared at the conference were not top leaders who had supported the mammoth Bersih demonstration just before the March 8 election last year. The new slogan was meant to be a parody of Najib's new slogan of '1Malaysia: People First. Performance Now'.

Thanks to a tactical blunder by the new administration, it was a campaigner's dream to be featured on almost all prime news and mass media. Wong has hit the jackpot again after his similar action in the past, Suqiu, had won widespread public outcry when the UMNO Youth had responded violently to the 'demands' made by the Chinese movement.

The arrests of almost 100 activists and politicians in the last 3 days throughout the country is set to create a wider wedge between the BN government and the civil society. Among those arrested were five lawyers seeking access to their clients. The Bar Council had responded with a spontaneous show of disgust at the High Court the following day.

At the forum last night, some of those detained shared their first time experience of detention. Pictures of them donning the infamous 'Guantanamo' like orange prison outfit were shown to the public. These youths made detention sound so exciting.

Fancy spending a night at a police detention centre? Sign up to participate in the next demonstration. But those who were detained at the Bricksfield police station have an advice to those who are keen - avoid Bricksfield, try the Pantai police station instead for 5-star detention.

At the end of the forum, the audience and several PR elected representatives joined Wong at the candle lighting ceremony to celebrate democracy in Malaysia. Wong is already working on another campaign, 1Better Malaysia.

I could not help but to agree with Wong that we need to come together and strive for a better Malaysia.

Note:
Straigh Talk would like to thank Mr Chiu for his generous contribution to ST fund.