The writer gomen man is undoubtedly impressed with Bersih 3.0 huge turn out and the active social media/blogging scene that takes on the ruling coalition’s shenanigans. He says it’s the awakening of Malaysia’s middle class and urban population and does not depend on “whether Anwar is around or whether Ambiga is leading Bersih” – that Bersih itself is a fast rising movement bigger than any one of its participants or even organizers, a fast developing civil resistance mobilization movement, as precursor to Malaysian democratic Spring! This “Spring” does not need a specific leader (Anwar or Ambiga) Never mind if for any reason one of them or one of PR leaders has to leave because somehow someone will rise up from this ground movement, step up and continue with the struggle until similarly substituted! At least this the way I read what the writer implies in what he says.

Whilst we ought not to be dismissive/fatalistic at one end and overly optimistic at the other, we should be somewhere between ie realistic – are conditions here similar to Libya or Egypt or Syria or other places where Arab Spring is supposed to dawn without the condition precedent of a great leader arising earlier and first to lead ? We are a society polarized by race/religion. An awakened middle class has to weigh their urban votes against a not so awakened rural class given disproportionate weightage in terms of votes; a electoral process that Bersih has pointed out many irregularities weighed in favour of ruling coalition. The outcome of the coming polls will be more likely determined by which competing coalition will by polls day flounder more under the weight of its own internal contradictions or leaders’ glaring mistakes than a clear positive over the negative, in short, – a choice between which a more unpleasant alternative than which an ideal one!