Okay.

I felt bad that KL Metblogs lacks photos of the Bersih rally despite the fact that I was there. Here is the chance for me to redeem myself before everything goes haywire as Sunday succumbs to Monday, when work overwhelms any other interests.

Here at Metblogs, there was a comment that tried to spread disinformation ^[1], claiming the rally had been postponed due to the absence of the King. I withheld that comments and only published them after the rally took place, hoping to limit the effect of the disinformation. According to others, the same SMS was widely distributed among the city folks as well as those from outside the city. Several versions are known to exist but most amusing was this: the King sent the SMS himself. LOL!

A number of photos taken from my blog (of before ^[2] and during ^[3] the rally) have been posted in Metroblogging Kuala Lumpur group at Flickr ^[4]. I won’t repost the same photos here and since I managed nearly 300 shots, I plan to share other photos. Well, okay, some of the photos will be repeated due to the fact that it complements the story but I promise, most photos here have not been published elsewhere on the internet.

The first shot describes the scene just outside the Masjid Jamek station. Situation appeared normal…

…and people could be seen walking merrily, minding their own business…

… and it would indeed be normal if it wasn’t for the large riot police presence. Yes, the police knew about the large rally that demanded for free and fair election.

CCTVs are everywhere in KL and so, if one wants to protest without revealing one’s identity, one needs to wear a burqa or something to that effect. Or just a mask.

I was a few hours early — I reached the area at around 11:00 while the rally was supposed to start at 15:00 — and it rained for the longest time.

Officers taking shelter from the rain under a train viaduct. That was in the middle of the road.

Oh shit, they spotted me. No civilian was supposed to enter Dataran Merdeka and I was in there. So, RUN!

People was supposed to rally at Dataran Merdeka but the government had declared the rally as illegal assembly. The Prime Minister himself had threatened the public against participating in the rally. But he, being the Prime Minister that he is, not known for his resoluteness, very unlike the previous PM Mahathir, was ignored. The PM blinked…

There were minor clashes at Masjid Jamek as the crowd demanded entry into Dataran Merdeka before moving to Istana Negara. After tear gas and water cannon were fired, the crowd decided skip Dataran Merdeka.

Several more hours, the game was on. The rain didn’t deter the rally participants from marching for several miles toward the National Palace (Istana Negara).

The police watched on.

March!

I overheard one member of the riot police said, something to this effect, “OMG! Look at the size of the rally!”

This is at Masjid Negara (National Mosque). I reached here late and most people were already on their way to the palace. But the riot police unit was still there.

More people from other direction. Notice the traffic?

The people gathered. Just in front is the palace.

The police prevented the crowd from going forward any farther.

Okay, okay. I’m going.

This is the largest show of civil society since the demonstration of 1998. Reports put the figure between 10,000 to 40,000 people. The mainstream media said it was a mere 4,000. In a country where the government controls the media, international and alternative local sources are more reliable than that of the local mainstream media.

Photographers from various news agencies climbed up the gantry to get a good view of the rally.

Meanwhile, behind the palace gate…

The calvary on standby. If things had gone wrong, while I support freedom of assembly (I personally don’t support the act of getting the monarch into the mess; I am a republican but I do realize the role of pragmatism), I would get out of the way of the horses. Live to fight for another day, I say!

Another shot of the crowd. There is a glow to the picture; the rainwater affected my lens. Don’t worry, the camera is alright and working marvelously fine.

Once the rally was done, the crowd dispersed peacefully.

As the crowd dispersed, it caused massive traffic congestion. Some drivers were clueless of what was going on. Some were cursing. And some honked loudly to express their support of the rally.

The FRU was stuck in traffic. Too late brother. The rally has already ended.

Finally, the end of the day.