LETTER | It is no secret that a majority of Malaysians are fed up with the government. With the endless U-turns on standard operating procedures (SOPs) and the double standards in enforcing it, the unnecessary emergency declaration and blatant disregard of the democratic safeguards of this country through the suspension of Parliament, Covid-19 cases breaking records on a daily basis and the number of deaths skyrocketing, the list goes on and on.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen various forms of protest being organised not by opposition politicians, but the average citizens. The same citizens who you would greet during your morning walk or bump into while grocery shopping.

This is because the average citizen has had enough of the nonsense that we are witnessing today. The very institutions that form the basis of governance in our country are being used to the benefit of politicians for their own personal gain.

To put things into perspective, these politicians are treating the country as their own playground, making decisions to their own whims and fancies, with little to no regard for the implications that will bring the most harm to the average citizen.

The #Lawan movement by Sekretariat Solidariti Rakyat (SSR) started out as a largely social media-based protest where black flags were hung from homes to signify discontent and anger towards the government.

It had then morphed into a more physical protest with convoys held simultaneously in multiple locations throughout Malaysia. But wait, there’s more.

On July 31, as many as 2,000 protestors, mostly youths, took to the streets of Kuala Lumpur with three demands, for Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s resignation, for Parliament to reconvene and for the ending of the state of emergency. The protest was peaceful with social-distancing measures observed thoroughly by the black-clad protestors.

Just a few days before the physical #Lawan protest, another protest took shape. This time, it was a strike to demand better job security and permanent contracts for contract doctors.

The Hartal Doktor Kontrak movement saw contract doctors stage a walk-out during their shifts in hospitals. What is heartening to see is that their supportive colleagues shouldered the responsibility of manning the fort in their short absence from duty. Thus, no patients were neglected or put in harm’s way.

All the protests we’ve seen throughout the past few weeks have shown that most Malaysians value and make full use of their freedoms of expression, even though the government is determined to clamp down on dissidents.

Doctors involved in the strike were threatened by superiors and higher-ups, while organisers of the #Lawan protests have been called by police to provide their statements and faced detention. Even their family members are not spared, as they have been visited by the police, even after having their statements recorded.

As cruel as it may sound, the government’s actions are justifiable to a certain extent, more so with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, as there are laws in this country, such as the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 and the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988, which curtail the freedoms of individuals.

If we take a look at other vibrant democracies, such as in Europe, the United States and Australia, their protests are more prevalent than in our country. It has become somewhat of a trend to protest whenever those governments announce restrictions that limit personal freedoms, such as the freedom of movement and the freedom over one’s own body.

We despise those who protest mask or vaccination mandates and cringe at protestors who demand that they be allowed to move about freely or dine-in at their favourite restaurants. We feel that these people are the worst lot and bring shame to their countries by fighting for the rights they deem they ‘deserve’, but doesn’t the same apply to us when we demand our own rights? The only difference is the reasons for the protest.

What sets us apart from other countries is our cause and our way of protesting. It is evident that so far, all protests in Malaysia are peaceful, with little to no disruption of daily life, whereas in other countries, people are getting injured and public property is being destroyed.

Malaysia is as divided as it has ever been. There are those who feel the need to protest due to the government’s incompetence and lack of responsibility. At the same time, there are those who feel that protesting when Covid-19 cases are in five digits will bring more harm than good.

We are in a grey area. On one hand, it is necessary for us to demand change when the government has failed us, but on the other, aren’t we hypocrites if we continue our protest but scoff at other countries’ protests?

Our children and grandchildren will one day look at us and they will judge for themselves how we overcame this pandemic. The decisions we make today will have a long-lasting impact on the country’s future. Only time will tell if we made the right decisions. 

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.