Yesterday, tens of thousands of people gathered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to demand electoral reforms. The government had refused to grant a permit for the gathering, and as such, it was considered illegal. Tear gas was used by police to disperse the protesters. You can read more on the story here.

I found out about this from one of my friends, Lihsia (who I’ve mentioned here before). It’s really close to home for her, being a Malaysian herself, and here’s what she has to say about it:

“I like my country in this way- there’s some sort of courage I admire in these people that you’ll probably never see in Singapore. I like that there are Malaysians who care enough about their country to try and do something about it, even if it means risking arrest and their lives etc. I like that thousands of people stood there and demanded their right to a proper democracy, even when the police were firing water jets and chemicals at them. There’s something inspiring about all of this.”

There’s no way I could have written it any better, and there’s really nothing for me to add.

Just a thought for you guys. Would you have had that courage, and cared enough, to stand up against the powers that be if you were them?