Yesterday was another memorable Sunday vigil at the MBPJ with the appearance of Puan Norlaila and her son Suhaib, the family of an ISA detainee Mat Shah who was detained close to 7 years, as well as the brave lady who stood up against the Pro ISA group last week.

It was 8pm with the crowd moving in slowly well it must be the traffic that slows them, I guess. Then I heard a voice “I am Lita” ah hah, someone I’ve been looking forward to meet, Hi Lita, I’m Sam. and it stuck both of us for a while, well we have been sharing in the internet for sometime now, and it’s really a pleasure to met her.

Estrelita with her own “candle”

As I was chatting with Prof Robert, I saw Puan Norlaila and Suhaib in the crowd.

When I approach Suhaib, I can see his face full of question mark ???? It’s like Do I know you???

Oh I’m following your mom’s blog for sometime now, so I know your family’s problem with the ISA.

Then I heard Councilor Richard Yeoh drawing the crowd nearer to start the night. As usual, he read out the terms & condition set by the permit for our gathering. Just as usual as it is, the ridiculous terms & condition still draws the laughter from the crowd.

No activities showing our sympathy towards ISA detainees, no banners, no political speech, no burning of candles, no wearing of NO TO ISA shirt etc..

We have spoke to Selangor MB, Datuk Khalid, and we have the permission to light the candles for 15 minutes, so you all light it for 15 minutes, then blow it off, then light it on again lah, you know what I mean la said richard. but I really don’t know why this 15 minutes term? Any difference between 15 and 16 and 30 minutes?

Haris took over and we observed a minute silence to reflect upon the Mumbai attack, then Harris invited Puan Norlaila to speak to the crowd.

From here, it becomes really emotional, her tears flows and we were all saddened by what she related to us, her experience beginning from the night her husband was taken away under ISA in 2002.

It was midnight, 12am when the SB (Special Branch) officer came to our house, they searched our house for 4 hours, untill 4 am, before they took away my husband. I was shook, in a state of confusion, what is ISA? Why they took away my husband? Before this, I really have no idea about ISA, from there on I searched all the information about ISA. It was only sometime after the arrest, that I can meet with my husband. During my visit, we were surrounded by so many of SBs, they jolted down every single words we talked and took lots of pictures, it becomes so weird that we hardly talk.

The worst thing is, the SB threathen our relatives, even our siblings turn away from us. Everyone was so afraid with the ISA that no one dares to come to us. Even my neighbours, when they now my husband was arrested under ISA, they quickly shut the door, it was only a few months later that they come to me, they apologised because they were so afraid with the ISA.

Back then in 2002, it was really difficult, no one helps us. We don’t get coverage from the media, no news from the newspaper, TV lagilah susah. Only Malaysiakini, Harakah Daily, and the alternative media that highlights our plight. Masa tu ada Blogger ke?

I was really down back then, there were times when I felt really sad that I just don’t feel like I want to work, tak larat, just want to lye down. But it was after, that the reality strikes me, I have to pay the bills, and with Suhaib, only 8 years old, I have to stand up, I have to continue my life. Only then I accept the reality. But the SB never gave us a good time, they told us not to contact any lawyers, not to contact any politicians, not human rights activist, no media, if I complied then my husband will be released. So I complied with it for 2 years, until 2004, when Suhaib and I waited in Kamunting for his released, only then we were told that his arrest was extended another 2 years!!! For 2 years I have been waiting for him, doing nothing, laid low, but this is what we get. So what is the option we have?

Only then I go for help. Edmund Bon from the Bar Council, he helps me with the habeas corpus application, which we lost. Then I go to Suhakam which is supposed to be our guardian for human rights, but they are so toothless that after we have sent hundreds and hundreds of memorandum, it was still a failure. It was then they told me to go to the streets. And yes I go. I go to demonstration, go to the Parliament, and I met Teresa Kok who is so eagerly trying to help me, helding my hand searching for some Minister, and I have meet with Nazri Aziz, I met with Shahrizat. But it is not easy to meet those Ministers, they don’t want to meet us. All we can is to meet with the Pakatan Rakyat MPs. Not enough with the Parliament I went to Shahrizat’s office, it was then she told me, you go to the Putrajaya, to the PM’s car park, approached him. Yes I go, but whereever I go, the SB never failed to trail me, the follow me everywhere.

It was then at Seremban, at the Felda, that I managed to “ambush” him, he was surrounded with so many bodyguards, but there was one momeny where he was isolated, and I used that opportunity to hand over a letter to him. I told him “YAB, my husband has been arrested under ISA for 5 years” and his respond was “oh ya ke”. That is all I get from him, before the bodyguards realize that one mak cik has approached the PM, that was when I run away as hard as I could as the SBs were chasing behind and I locked myself in the car. The SB came and asked “What is the contend of the letter”, which I awnsered I don’t know, you asked the PM la, and I drove off. I felt guilty, we were brought up to be soft, sopan, but after I’ve ambushed the PM, I felt guilty, it was kurang ajar, but then again, what is the option we have?

I began to speak out, to tell the people of this draconian law as I believe many just like me before this never knew anything about ISA. I help out at the election campaign, but the SB who follows me took my pictures and show it to my husband. “You see, why you let you wife to do this, to campaign for the opposition, talk about the ISA” it’s like my husband was punished for what I do outside. My husband has been arrested under ISA for close to 7 years now, yet there’s no proof of his wrong doings. I can take it if they have proof and charged him in the Court, but to have him arrested based on accusation, I can’t. There’s a few more people who is arrested along with my husband, and their wife, I can guarantee you have never seen their face, because just like me, they were threathen by the SB, not to go to the media, do not demonstrated, so they stayed low profile, until now, but what is the result? It’s still the same, their husband is still under ISA without proof and trial. So what is the difference?

It is not easy to have a crowd who is brave enough like you all, and I believe RPK was released, because he has enough of supports from the people, and of course the Judge was brave enough, he just do his job as a Judge and nothing else.

I meet with Puspa, the wife of Manoharan, one of the Hindraf 5 who was arrested under ISA, just like me, she is doing everything she could. I hope the Hindraf can continue. They have been doing what I’m doing, and I salute them for making their precense felt during the Hari Raya when they attend the PM’s Open House. All they do was attending the Open House and raised the ISA issue, and they were banned for that. The PM is not happy, and the UMNO, what they want to show is their power, to show they have the power by doing this. I will try to come whenever i have the time, because i know you all supports me, so i have to come.

Well Puan Norlaila spoke for an hour, I think I have wrote almost the full context, but for more of her story, please visit her blog Merah Hitam. Gave her you supports, she really appreciates it.

Then we have another brave lady. I believe we all still remembers the Pro ISA gathering last week by the Pewaris, who demonstrated by the roadside, and there this brave lady who stood up against them. And she was with us yesterday to related her story;

Well I was around there that time when I saw their demonstration, with their banners. And i don’t know why they can get the permit when we can’t do it in the open area, and even with our permit now, we cannot have banners. I took pictures of them from the pedestrian bridge and I walked back to the otherside of the road. It was when I saw another banners which they claimed that the malay equity is supposed to be 70% instead of 30%, and that was when I really boils up and I walk back and shouted that they are racist, and I said shame on you. Then this man came to me and asked me to repeat what I said, and I did. Then he told me bettter to go away, I turn away, little did I realize that another crowd is chasing up to me, luckily there’s TWO policemen there who escorted me to my car. I was only a few steps away when someone PUNCHED MY FACE, AND KICKED ME. Even after I went inside my car, they continued to kicked on my car. And they can get a permit for this, with only a few policemen there, but ours was full of FRUs and policemen, and no banners some more. So why is the double standard? To me ISA is I Shall Abuse my power.

She steps down to the applause from the crowd. Richard continues from there.

He told us a story, his friend a senior UMNO member, who told him that they were very disappointed and angry with the Pakatan Rakyat because of the state land issue. Perak has approved state lands to give to the new villagers who had been staying and working on the land for more than 50 years, as well as other states under PR which allocates some funding for the vernaculler schools (chinese, tamil and islamic schools). This action upsets most of the UMNO members and they went on to confront the Perak MB Datuk Nizar, but they all came away impressed by him, because for every questions they threw at him, MB Nizar has a good explaination as well as proof to justifiy the PR action. and they even said If not because of MB Nizar in PR, he might become Malaysia’s future PM!!

After we have another speaker from the floor, Angie Sun;

I am doing my part, and i believe all women should do the same. It’s very easy, just called your friends and tell them about this. Many replied to say that it’s not right to gather here bla bla bla, but i don’t care, because they are afraid. Tonight i’ve fail, but i will continue to do it.

Read More; Steest (Lita), Anilnetto, San Jiun (Mandarin), Paradise Storm, The Whisperer,

to be continue… yesterday was a very long night, and i have more to tell, especially the moment i get to share with Puan Laila after the vigil ends. I have to go now, will upload more later…

Argh finally!!! Sorry i was sooooo frustrated just now as i couldn’t enter this editing page or write a new page, this must be the the sloooow connection, just another curse of monopoly. Below is the continuing part on last Sunday’s vigil ;

After Angie, it was Lokman and Aloysius’s turn.

The focus is also on Anak Bangsa Malaysia where we shouldn’t differentiate between race and religion among Malaysian. The fight to end the ISA is not a race issue, it’s about nation , about the people.

As it was close to 10pm now, Richard took over and lead us to sing the Selangor State Anthem and our national anthem Negaraku before we end. Never before we ended so late, but everyone were just happy to share the moment with Norlaila & Suhaib as well as the brave lady who surprises everyone with her courage to stand up against those PRO ISA guys.

Before i go home, i managed to met up with Kak Laila. (She was busy on phone earlier when i got the picture with Suhaib). As i introduced myself to her, she was really surprised.

kkitsam, i thought you are a malay, coz you comment so well in malay.

Well actually i have been following Kak Laila’s blog for sometime, and when i saw some UMNO cyber troopers “kacau” her blog with their rude and moronic mindset, i will give my two cents, in fact just one cent is needed to shoot back at those moron. so in a way, Kak Laila and me had meet before albeit in the cyber world. She added;

Before this, in my life circle, i had very little contact with non malays, i called it minimal contact but now, after my husband was detained under ISA, i open myself up, before this, my world was square, but now i know it’s a round world. That’s the good thing i experience, making new friends regardless of race and religion.

I begin to wonder, maybe, just maybe this ISA is good, in a way that it brought up people of different races & religion and as we fight to end this draconian law, we hold ourselves together as ANAK BANGSA MALAYSIA.