With every chant, the call for change grows ever louder. The march towards Putrajaya, the administrative capital of the nation, appears closer by the day. For most Malaysians, it is a refreshing experience to attend ceramahs and not be bombarded with speeches inciting hate, racism and discord among fellow Malaysians. Gone are the days where the middle class would hide quietly at home, warning their children against attending such events. Today, it is the older generation who are more eager to go out on the streets and in most cases, urging their children and neighbours to tag along. Anwar and all the other PR leaders and candidates present facts and reiterate their stand against corruption and racial politics that has been ingrained in us for far too long as the norm. Change is imminent.[/caption]
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Without access to traditional forms of media, social media has played an integral role in popularising the opposition in the hearts and minds of the Malaysian masses. Even today, as the GE13 campaign is underway, the battle is clearly won, at least on the Internet, by the opposition. BN has spent hundreds of millions on buying up ad space and paying social sites like YouTube and Twitter for promotion but no amount of money can buy the motivation for people to share the truth and propagate information among their circle of influence. People want their voice to be heard and for most us, sharing information relevant to your stand is the way to say something without saying anything at all.[/caption]
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The Parti Keadilan Rakyat logo was designed by Syed Ahmad Jamal as a reference to the 'black eye incident' where Anwar was seen appearing with a black eye on his way to court in 1998. He was beaten in prison by the Inspector General of Police at the time, Tan Sri Rahim Noor.[/caption]
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Regardless of weather, people of all races will brave the elements to hear PR leaders speak. Even with offers of free food and other goodies, the people are shying away from grand events organized by the ruling coalition, even when the venues are fully equipped with chairs, fans and tents. They would rather soak their feet in mud, walk the distance and stand under the rain just to feel the winds of change and for once in this country, truly feel like a Malaysian. At such ceramahs, look to your left and right, and you will be greeted with a smiling face, acknowledging each other's solidarity in the struggle to reclaim our rights as citizens against an oppressive regime.[/caption]
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Unbeknownst to many, Anwar Ibrahim has a very strong passion for singing. Regardless of how tired he may be after a full day of events, he would sit quietly in his own little world and sing at the top of his lungs. Among his favourites are the classics from the 50's from Elvis, Paul Anka, Nat King Cole and also Malay, Indonesian and even Hindi classics. If you're lucky enough you might be able to catch him singing 'Tanya Sama Najib' at one his speeches around the country.[/caption]
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