Sanitising street protests

Azmi Anshar

TYPICAL of democratic practitioners worldwide, Malaysians hanker for a gargantuan political rally where they can be enthralled by speeches oozing with fire-breathing sermons, charisma and charlatanism, finding somehow the truth wedged within the screeching sound bytes, postural preening and suspense of a bombshell.

As they goad and work the crowd, the characters firing the broadsides spice up their oratory with illumination, revelation, humour and sarcasm. Always on the caustic side, the orators size up their Malaysian audience with the methodology of a psychologist and the aura of a cultist.

Socio-political idealism boiling inside democracy's cauldron aside, public rallies are for most parts sources of entertainment that draw on the instinct to converge, communicate and embrace. Malaysians love the unencumbered mass togetherness where strangers become comrades and shyness turns into prattling fanaticism, at least for a couple of hours. - + selanjutnya

Anak Tok Moh pernah tanya .. "Ayah ...demo tu halal ke haram?"
"errrr... Haram .. errrr.... halal .... errrrr...sunat ... errrrr.......harus ", jawab Tok Moh.
"Errrr ... betul ke tak betuk ayah aku ni?", kata anak Tok Moh.

Sanitising street protests