KOTA KINABALU, Aug 29 — Frustrated with the rising cost of living, farmer Yusof Isid travelled 11 hours by boat and bus from a village in Sebatik Island, Tawau, to the Bersih 4 rally in Kota Kinabalu here today.
The 58-year-old said the arduous journey — two hours by boat to the mainland and nine hours on a bus — was worth it to show that it was not only city dwellers who wanted reforms, but also the poor in rural areas.
“I made the journey alone because I’m fed up with the current conditions we are living in,” Yusof told Malay Mail Online.
“Those of us in the rural areas are facing so many problems. GST has become a huge burden, the price of everything has gone up, but we have no way of complaining.
“We do not have access to information to solve our woes. I’m hoping that coming here will send a message that Malaysians from everywhere want reforms and want to be heard,” the father of two added, referring to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) that came into effect last April.
Thousands of Sabahans of all ethnicities, ages and communities demonstrated at the Bersih 4 rally, organised by polls reform group Bersih 2.0, at the picturesque Likas Bay Park II here today.
Despite the police barring the Bersih 4 rally, the authorities did not crack down on the peaceful protest, with police not taking action either on the rally in Kuala Lumpur that saw tens of thousands dressed in yellow thronging the streets. In Kuching, Sarawak, authorities allowed use of the Song Kheng Hai rugby field for the Bersih 4 rally that saw thousands of participants.
According to police estimates, 29,500 people joined the Bersih 4 rally nationwide: 25,000 in Kuala Lumpur, 2,500 in Kuching and 2,000 in Kota Kinabalu.
Yusof’s friends — Mastupang Somoi, 51, and Ening Garai, 62 — took a four-hour bus ride to get to the state capital for Bersih 4.
The two farmers from Pitas, one of Sabah’s poorest districts, said they wanted a platform to talk about social issues, especially the oppression of native rights.
“Aside from the GST burdening us, there are also government policies that have been taking away the natives’ livelihood in our village,” Mastupang said.
He said native land was being swallowed up by a government-linked project, a prawn farm, worth millions in his village, with no compensation given to villagers and that only those employed by the company benefitted.
“There are so many land issues now. These are the things rural Sabahans are most concerned with. We came here to voice out our issues, hope they can listen to our grievances,” said Mastupang.
First-time rally participant Eric Chan said people were fed up with corruption and the lack of transparency in the government.
“We want justice. A clean election, a government reforms. First of all, they are in government despite not winning the popular vote,” Chan told Malay Mail Online.
“The unfair laws are getting worse. Let’s start with a clean election, without fraud and underhanded tricks like gerrymandering, blackouts and foreigners carrying MyKads,” he added.
Barisan Nasional (BN) retained power in Election 2013, despite losing the popular vote.
The 35-year-old businessman said that worst of all was the ailing economy, pointing out that the controversy surrounding a RM2.6 billion donation to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was still unanswered.
Umno leaders have said that the money was contributed by an Arab family who wanted to see Umno and BN remain in government, but Najib has yet to reveal who had donated the RM2.6 billion to him.
