YOURSAY | Little people with very big hearts

YOURSAY | ‘A better Malaysia is a process which is not attained in just one election cycle.’

COMMENT | The day when the little people spoke up

Dr Raman Letchumanan: When people are given positions of power or responsibilities to defend public interest, they will swear upon their god, their holy book, their religion, etc, that they will defend, protect, and abide by the Constitution. These are the so-called big people, but with little hearts when they do the opposite.

However, the little people, who do not make such a show of a public pledge, rise up to defend the Constitution when it is abused by these big shots. They may be nobodies, but they have big hearts.

For those little people, like this senior citizen who sacrificed his lunch to donate to Malaysiakini for our future generations, their courage is immeasurable. No amount of outward show of piety, power, and wealth can match the inherent genuineness of the little people.

Malaysiakini’s Media Defence Fund on Feb 19, 2021, and the 14th general election (GE14) on May 9, 2018, proved that. We need to celebrate such occasions than be reminded constantly of May 13, 1969.

HelangEmas_6525: As an educator who is supposed to teach and encourage young students to be brave to give their opinions, I was shocked and bitterly disappointed to learn of the RM500,000 fine imposed on Malaysiakini after it was found guilty of contempt of court because of comments made by users on one of its news articles.

I am totally against crude and offensive language, but I am in a dilemma now. How can I motivate my young students to say what is on their minds? Who can blame them for choosing to remain silent?

From my experience, many higher-ups in my beloved Malaysia have never learned to accept any kind of opinions, more so if they are negative. Woe to those who dare to say anything, they would definitely be blacklisted.

However, my heart felt very warm after watching so many Malaysians giving so generously to Malaysiakini. There is still hope for my beloved Malaysia. Hidup Malaysia!

Darmakochi: In retrospect, I am happy this event had happened. Maybe this may act as a catalyst to bring more positive changes in our beloved nation from the mostly self-serving present crop of politicians.

I am so very happy to note Malaysians, regardless of race, religion and other differences, were mobilised so fast to raise the money. In a way, it is a historical event to celebrate.

Fair Play: I suppose now, by and large, the peoples of Malaysia collectively known as the rakyat had crossed the Rubicon.

Malaysiakini and other social media provide a platform for free speech, and the one lesson that the politicians, regulators, and the powers-that-be had learned in the aftermath of the RM500,000 fine is that truth cannot be silenced and accountability is what the rakyat want from those in power.

GE15 will likely force the politicians to reassess and calibrate their policies and actions fairly for the rakyat if they intend to win power. When the rakyat is fully awake, it is very difficult to put them back to sleep again.

Who really knows? If we thought GE14 was a tsunami, GE15 might be a great awakening and reset.

Kamon Ah: A great victory for the little people indeed. However, I fear that the courts and government will now see this as a convenient avenue to monetise what I assume to be the largely non-Perikatan Nasional-supporting masses.

We need to end this once and for all and enact better press freedom laws. We need to stem fake news better (it's debilitating on both sides) by pressuring Facebook and Twitter the same way they were pressured to notify people about Donald Trump’s lies on the US election results.

Can the politicians please step up here? That'd be much appreciated so we don't have to sacrifice our coffee and toast money to bail out another freedom seeker… again.

Coward: I know it is easy for me to say that Malaysiakini being able to raise the money was never in doubt. However, the short time frame given to Malaysiakini to pay the fine was a concern.

In the end, what was even more astonishing was the speed that the money was raised. Malaysiakini was probably in shock and did not have the time to tell us what they will do with the inevitable extra funds that were raised, yet the donors have enough trust that Malaysiakini will use the extra money raised for good causes. This demonstrates the public’s trust in Malaysiakini.

Malaysians will rally behind a cause that we think is worth fighting for. I never doubted it, given that we had been rallying for the right causes for as far as I can remember. However, this time, the message we sent out was the loudest and clearest.

Dont Just Talk: As a senior citizen and a retiree without any monthly pension, and after reading the unkind penalty imposed on Malaysiakini, I was ready to call Maybank on Monday to donate a small sum to Malaysiakini towards the RM500,000 fine (this was despite the Attorney-General’s Chambers [AGC]’s initial proposal of a RM200,000 fine).

What a blessing it was to learn that RM500,000 was raised by Malaysiakini within four hours, which shows that Malaysians support media who dares to write without fear or favour.

VioletPanda7423: I didn’t even finish reading the article on the donation drive - I opened my bank app and transferred the money pronto. Later, when the donation drive had stopped after about four hours, I rechecked and found out the money transferred was made within 10 minutes of the publication of the article.

The gratification felt was almost like the night of GE14. Never felt this good for such a long time.

BrownShark8874: After GE14 and the Sheraton Move, I had lost my appetite for politics and to follow Malaysiakini. The Malaysiakini’s contempt case was a jolt and a wake-up call.

I decided to renew my subscription with Malaysiakini and support them in whatever way I can. I took press freedom for granted before this - #Kitajagakita!

Anonymous_221043: This article is inspiring to say the least. It gives the younger generation a modicum of hope.

There is so much hopelessness, especially ever since the old man blatantly and shamelessly betrayed us. There are so much bitterness and fear of the future.

When a country goes bankrupt, the minorities will become the scapegoats and suffer most. Migration becomes a top priority. May Malaysiakini prosper and thrive.

Not Bitten Twice: It is always darkest before the dawn. What happened was a blessing in disguise. It showed the collective power of the rakyat when they are united against tyranny. We have done it in GE14. We will do it again in GE15.

Remember, "many drops of water make an ocean". Every single vote is important. Don't give up on Malaysia. Never be too morally tired to vote. A better Malaysia is a process which is not attained in just one election cycle.

May our votes be like the many drops of water that not only makes an ocean but becomes a real tsunami. Rise up, my brothers and sisters.

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