INI BUKAN ARAB SPRING - INI MUSIM DURIAN

'Rallies will never bring

 down a government'

Street rally is a ground for the people to express their dissatisfaction towards the government's policy‎ and a government will only collapse when the elites bicker with each other

KUALA LUMPUR: There is no government that has been brought down through street demonstrations, said political activist Hishamuddin Rais.

Hishammuddin who is no stranger in Malaysia's political landscape, described that the purpose of street rallies was to put pressure on the government, and it can only collapse when the elites bicker with each other.

"Demonstrations have never brought down a government. Be it in Manila or in Jakarta or in London or in the US. Street rally is a ground for the people to express their dissatisfaction towards the government's policy.

"The purpose is to put pressure on the government in power. Look at Britain during the Iraq war where almost a million people took to the streets to protest Britain's participation in Iraq but it never brought down Tony Blair's government. Same in the US during the Occupy Wall Street rally," he told Berita Daily in an interview.

"It will only collapse when the elites bicker with each other. For instance, the dispute in Umno now is apparently between Muhyiddin (Yassin) and Najib (Razak). There is a crack now in Putrajaya that is for sure. The elites in Umno are fighting amongst themselves," he added.

"When street rallies occur, they will put pressure on Najib's administration to respond to the demands requested by civil groups and the society, and the elites will argue on policies. That's what happened in Indonesia and Philippines," said the former ISA detainee.

Hishamuddin then lambasted those who failed to see what street rallies can achieve, saying that if it was not because of the rallies in London and in the United States, the so-called war on terror would still be taking place in the Middle East.

"Many of us however fail to see the result although I say that street rallies have never brought down a government.

"If the people did not rally in London and in Washington, Guantanamo Prison will still be operating. Because of the pressure that came from street rallies worldwide, America and its ally Britain decided to do something about it.

"Same goes in our country, if not because of the anti-ISA rallies, Kamunting camp would still be opened, ISA would still be in use. Peaceful Assembly Act would never be introduced. If Bersih was never created, we would never had the space to learn about election malpractices that occur in our system.

"The result may not be tomorrow and it will take some time but that is what we struggle for. In the end the government will have to look at it because the people went down to the streets and voice out their concerns," said the man who handles the blog Tukar Tiub.

Asked on how many participants were needed in order to get Putrajaya's attention, Hishamuddin who went into exile in London for more than 20 years, said that the numbers were not the main objective in a street rally.

He said that a demonstration can be done even if there is one person standing on the street, adding that the length of the protest was also not a concern.

He added that in Russia, it only took three to four female protesters and it became news worldwide, referring to anti-Putin protest by all-female rock group Pussy Riot.

"It does not matter how many turn up or how long it takes. The main objective is to express dissatisfaction but of course, the more people attending would result in more attention. That is what we need now. The masses," he said.

Asked on what made him believe in street rallies, the Negeri Sembilan-born activist said that it was everyone's right to participate in a rally as it is stipulated under the Federal Constitution.

"Everyone must understand that it is granted under our constitution under Article 10 - freedom to assemble and freedom of speech. There is nothing illegal about it.

"It is everyone's right and it is a democratic right for everyone to take part. No one is forced to join. You have the right to choose. That is why I believe in it," said the former University Malaya student leader who can't recall on how many times he has been arrested for taking part in protests.

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