The typical Merdeka Eve night started with an urge to watch the fireworks celebration in KLCC ended up in a racist attack by a group of teenagers. So, me and a friend of mine thought of a good solution to avoid the traffic jam in that area by walking from the office in Jalan Imbi through Pavillion, to Jalan Kia Peng through Convention Center to KLCC.
Sounds like an ideal plan as the path is a frequent walkway and is even advertised in Pavillion as 'Bridge to KLCC'. (Just to note that we didnt go into any dark alley)
At 10.15pm, we started walking towards Pavillion, stopped to get a drink at Starbucks and proceeded ahead. As we walk, we came across people from various races and foreign tourists along the way.
On Jalan Kia Peng, we walked past Novotel Hotel, Hakka Restaurant, Menara HLA and was reaching the junction of Jalan Pinang when a group of about 10 teenage Malay youngsters walking from the opposite direction. They looked like typical youths, giggling and talking to each other.
As we walked past them, suddenly one of them turned around and started to make a flying kick to my friend. Noticing the 'fun' he is having, his other friends started to do the same to me. It was so sudden and all I was thinking at the moment was, "What the hell did we do to them?"
Both of us ended up kneeling on the ground for a moment before more kicks and punches came flying in. Even though both of us had our tripod strapped across our shoulder, we were too shocked to react to it. Eventually one punch landed right on my right forehead and I started to bleed profusely. Seeing that they eventually stopped and walked away.WALKED AWAY, damn it. They were not even afraid to run but justWALKED AWAY like winning a game or something.The last thing I remember hearing from one of them was "Baliklah ke negara asal"
Imagine hearing this statement on Merdeka Eve.
I knew I was bleeding but I didnt know how bad. I could feel the right side of my head swollen and wet but I did not try to look at myself through a mirror. My friend also suffered bruises on the body and face. By that time there were more people walking around us but they did not stop to see what was wrong. I don't blame them, it was a poorly lit area just in front of Menara Pinang. We recovered and continued walking towards the Convention Center. The guards were symphatetic to let us in to use the washroom to clean up. It was then I saw my bloody face.
I did not take a picture of myself then as it is not my intention to send a horror message. This is not a message of sympathy. It's a account of a random person walking on a street.
Eventually after cleaning up, we walked back to the Police Booth in Pavillion to relate the incident. The response from the officer: "This cannot happen, we have all our men on the streets" (Well, not on the street we got beaten up ...)
Apparently informing the police booth stationed in a public area is NOT MAKING A POLICE REPORT. WTF? Apparently we have to go to a Hospital, get some treatment and make a complain/report at the police counter there. I would be dead by then, ain't I?
Is this how the police maintained that they have improved street crimes? By not noting down petty crimes like gang bang which did not result into hospitalization? Would we be taken seriously if only we landed in the hospital?
What we did was, we went back to the office, rested til this morning, went to a nearby clinic to get some bandages and medic.What else to do? I can't identify my assailants, and my wounds are not death-threatening.
If I had not wanted to celebrate Independence Day, would I walk or drive to the venue?
If I was not thirsty would I stop for 5 mins to get my drink and missed them completely?
If I had held my tripod as a defensive weapon earlier, would I save myself or get more beating instead?
If I'm not Chinese, would I get the same 'treatment'?
All I want to say in the end is ...
Forward this to your friends (so that they will be careful on the streets)
Forward this to your 'friendly police' (so that they know the procedure is wrong)
Forward this to any politician/newspaper (so that he/she can be the champion for highlighting this to the government)
1Malaysia MY HEAD!
So...as Malaysians...are we really 'Merdeka'?
The reason that I posted his note here it's not to condemn what race is bad or good - it's the mentally of some people who are still as small as a pea, narrow minded. Why can't each and everyone of us live in peace and harmony?
Is this what we wanted to show to the people out there - that our people is actually love hurting each other? Truth is, I am getting sick of hearing this so and so was been told to go back 'to your original country'. Wei...if we traced back our ancestry 90% of all of us might have to leave this country empty!!
Every single one of us had the right as Malaysians. Whilst we are busily telling who should live in this country and who shouldn't - and yet we are wondering "How on earth the illegal immigrants can live here, how they can live in our country as they please, aren't we supposed to have privileges as the citizens of this country, not them? How can they get citizenships when they actually are illegals?"
It's because - if you out there didn't want this certain race to live with you in this country, the illegal immigrants take place lah! If you can't tolerate with living with this certain race, if you can't seem happy to see people of the different faith and belief from you to practice their faith, my advice is, move out and live in the jungle where you can be happy - there's no one there to bug you even with how they talk, they walk, they pray.
Racist is a disease. Get some help if you have such problem. Every single one of us is God's creations so we are not in the position to call which race is low class, second class, first class - because in the end, when it's time to see Him, we are all just equal in front of Him, for we are judged based on the merits we had done when we are still alive. Do you think He would divide us into different groups based on nationality, race and so on? I don't think so.
Are we really 'Merdeka'?
'Merdeka' doesn't just means we are free from war, free from invasion.
'Merdeka' also means we are free, happy to live in peace, harmony and no hatred.
'Merdeka' means our mind and souls are free from all the negative thoughts towards our neighbors - no matter what race, color they are.
'Merdeka' doesn't exist in racist lives. For as long as they still have these feeling, thinking - they are still trapped within their own negative world.
If we can accept tourists - foreigners to visit our country with open hands and hearts, regardless where they came from; if we can make friends with them, if we can treat them well and make them feel like home, why can't we treat the same to our brothers and sisters from other races who was born and live here with as much right as we do?
Happy Independence Day, Malaysia.
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