'Black Saturday' declared every week to mourn death of democracy

May 8: Barely 48 hours after a rally was called and publicised through social media and word of mouth, Stadium Petaling Jaya in Kelana Jaya was overflowing with tens of thousands of people to protest the controversial election which saw Barisan Nasional scrape a narrow victory last weekend.

The huge crowd not only filled the 40,000-seat stadium, but also occupied every inch of the field. It is estimated that easily over 100,000 people have gathered at the venue, with tens of thousands more believed to be stuck in one of the worst traffic congestions seen in the Klang Valley in recent times.

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim spoke after several PR leaders  - including PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu and DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang - took turns addressing the giant crowd. A short poem - "Tipu Segala Tipu" - written specially for the occasion, was recited by Bersih co-chairman A Samad Said.

■ Right Top: An aerial view of the rally. Below: The chaotic scene of traffic at the LDP toll plaza


In his speech, Anwar vowed to press on for electoral reforms, and urged Malaysians to show their displeasure over the state of democracy in the country by wearing black every Saturday.

"Black symbolises the death of democracy in this country. Starting this Saturday, the people are encouraged to wear black throughout the country,' said Anwar.

He also announced that rallies would be held nationwide to highlight electoral frauds, including in Sabah and Sarawak, with the next one in Penang this Saturday.

"I want to show and prove to Najib, UMNO and BN leaders. This is not a Chinese battle, not a Malay battle.... we will go to every nook and corner of the country to show we have the support of all Malaysians," Anwar declared, referring to a series of racially charged statements issued by UMNO leaders following the party's pyrrhic victory.

He then announced a People's Tribunal to document and investigate electoral frauds, saying that it would prove that at least thirty parliamentary seats had been won by BN through fraud.

"We will not end this battle until the people's voice is supreme. Suara Rakyat Suara Keramat!" Anwar repeated his familiar battlecry, followed by the crowd responding the same.

Anwar then informed the crowd that tens of thousands of people were similarly gathered in Rusila in Terengganu to protest electoral frauds. Shortly after Anwar ended his speech, Bersih's popular leader Ambiga Sreenevasan made a short appearance, arriving at the last minute due to the congestion throughout Petaling Jaya and nearby highways.

Mammoth crowd in Marang

The gathering in Rusila, Marang in Terengganu (left) were attended by tens of thousands of people who turned up at the Dewan Terbuka Tok Guru near the Kampung Rusila mosque. Thousands had been left to follow the speeches in nearby streets outside the hall.

PAS president Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang was joined by popular Terengganu Islamic preacher Azhar Idrus and former Selangor Menteri Besar Muhamad Mohd Taib, who recently declared his support for PAS and Pakatan Rakyat.

Several issues brought up at the event include incidents of foreigners being allowed to vote, reports of blackout during vote counting, washable ink among many other cases of electoral frauds.