Page 24 - ELITE PLUS MAGAZINE VOL9

was launched in 2009 by Najib, but with the lack of transparency it is easy to assume corruption.anything was gained, however, considering the pro-government protests that followed.“When we’re trying to make peace here, when we shout for ‘Satu Malaysia’ [One Malaysia], all they care about is ‘Hidup Melayu’ [Long Live Malays],” she said. “I am quite disappointed actually we missed the opportunity to make our country better with better communication. It’s not about Chinese, Malay nor Indian, it’s about the country.“Honestly, I think if our prime minister is not going to confront and face up to what he did, and resign, our country will be just doomed. I don’t see any future for Malaysia.”Serena Ho, 32, who works in finance, saw more positives in the protests. “The turnout for the rally was beyond what I expected and many of my family members and friends participated; not just a day but forboth days,” she said. “This goes to show how disgruntled people are. Malaysians are better informed now due to the availability of info through the internet. It seems like Malaysians are finally waking up and fighting for themselves. The presence of all races shows that Malaysians are united in this fight and I think that’s a good start. Hopefully the politicians will soon realise that they can’t deceive Malaysians as easily as they used to.”According to polls, however, Najib still has the support of around half of the population of 30 million, mainly among the Malay majority. Malay Muslims make up just over half of the population, while around 23% are ethnic Chinese, with the rest comprising ethnic Indians, indigenous people and other groups.A large pro-government rally, Himpunan Rakyat Bersatu (the United People’s Rally), took place inElite+ spoke to participants of rallies on both sides of Malaysia’s divide, as well as neutral citizens, in order to try to gauge the mood in the country.“I joined the Bersih protests because I wanted to fulfil my respon- sibilities as a citizen,” said music teacher Khay Minn Lum, 25, who attended the Bersih rallies in Kuala Lumpur. “If you see your own country going down the drain, then we need to do something, we need to fight against corruption which is like a cancer in Malaysia. Despite all the threats and rumours that went around.”The government had called the rallies illegal and had threatened to crack down on protesters, who were not deterred by the threat of violence. Ms Lum is uncertain if ultimately22 Elite+