— Juju Johari
The Malaysian Insider
May 14, 2013

MAY 14 — After having my heart broken the night the election results were announced, I jumped at the opportunity to express my deepest condemnation of the results, arriving at the Kelana Jaya stadium grounds at about 6.30pm. My friend had picked me up, and being very traffic-savvy, he got us there expediently, which is much to be thankful for considering many others were not so fortunate.

I was immediately taken in by the wondrous sights that greeted me, as people poured into the stadium grounds all wearing black, with people greeting each other as if they were old friends, whilst strangers took pictures of interesting sights, outfits, placards and characters that pointedly broke down racial barriers. That night, in and around the stadium, Malays, Chinese and Indians celebrated their diversity and their love for the country and Malaysianness by not only showing up but also expressing, as clearly as day, their desire for a JUST new world.

This was a gathering that will long stay in memory as those who turned up shared a common pain, and to wash away the deep sorrow we felt, and the no longer suspended disbelief that things have gotten so bad in this country we call home. We wanted to continue believing that good will triumph over evil. We wanted justice, but I think mostly what we found that evening was a mirror in each other, a reflection of the goodness of what we strived for, affirmation, a sense of belonging to the true Malaysian identity. In short, we found hope.

I have the greatest respect for our young citizens that night; while it is easy to develop apathy, and to move on as the hum-drum of life takes over, and to be cynical and tell ourselves “there-is-nothing-I-can-do”, our young ones have shown great leadership by turning up in such significant numbers, showing great vision by blazing the path of unity, respect and understanding.

Young Chinese students with PAS headgear taking pictures with young Malays proudly wearing DAP flags on their shoulders, basically stuff which are becoming more and more common at Pakatan Rakyat (PR) events, and unfortunately, these magical and heartwarming scenes will never get the airtime they deserve over the mainstream media.

Credit to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s leadership who has again shown how fully in tune he is to how the rakyat feel amidst the trials and tribulations of the week. It is the mark of a humane and strong, decisive leader.

As the battle cry faded into the night, as rally goers tiredly walked to their cars, in the end it was such a healing experience knowing that we dare again hope, and the fact that regardless of age, race and religion, we know that we are definitely not alone. We can stand shoulder to shoulder with thousands of our brethren who have shown us the path and shared our dreams of a better Malaysia.