![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/140\/2012\/05\/newspapers-e1336808865577.jpg\" "\\"newspapers\\"")
<\/a>Stanley\u00a0and thousands like him have been marching in the streets of Malaysia’s cities and sharing every moment of it on Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Twitter and the other social media \u2013 expressing\u00a0a deep\u00a0passion for their native Malaysia, a prosperous Pacific Rim republic in the South China Sea that shares the Malay Peninsula with Thailand and the\u00a0island of Borneo with Indonesia.<\/p>\n
While staying in touch on the Internet, Stanley\u00a0took to the barricades with his friends —\u00a0an estimated 50,000 of them in Malaysia\u2019s capital of Kuala Lumpur as well as\u00a0thousands more demonstrating at 85 locations in 35 countries the world.<\/p>\n
But\u00a0populist revolution has\u00a0changed dramatically from Paris in 1789,\u00a0Moscow in 1918 or even Tiananmen Square in 1989. Today\u2019s protesters wield the Worldwide Web:\u00a0\u00a0“Finally arrived in Kuala Lumpur,”\u00a0Stanley posted on Facebook to friends and family worldwide as the protests began. “All set for tomorrow.”<\/p>\n
He and other fervent activists\u00a0had brought\u00a0their iPads, Androids and Blackberries to text each move of a Malaysian protest movement called Bersih,<\/em> \u00a0which in Malay means simply \u201cclean,\u201d and which demands electoral reforms in Malaysia.<\/p>\n In\u00a0the public squares and at their keyboards \u2013 quite often at both at the same time \u2013 tech-savvy Malaysians\u00a0called for an end to what they say are age-old inequities unfairly giving power to an entrenched elite favoring the nation\u2019s majority Malays, slighting Malaysians of Chinese and Indian heritage, and completely denying a voice to millions of Malaysians \u00a0pursuing \u00a0careers abroad.<\/p>\n Three times now, the Bersih movement has taken to the streets to publicly call for a comprehensive reform of Malaysia\u2019s electoral process. Protesters call themselves the rakyat<\/em> or \u201cordinary people\u201d and believe they can bring about peaceful, democratic change.<\/p>\n As protests spread last week throughout\u00a0Malaysia,\u00a0Stanley was in the middle of it \u2013 smartphone charged, his fingers texting away. He’s\u00a0a\u00a0devout Catholic who a year ago helped outwit Muslim bureaucrats trying to block the importation of Bibles into Malaysia.<\/p>\n “Receiving reports that hundreds have flooded\u00a0Dataran\u00a0Square\u00a0now,” Stanley reported. “On my way there now.”<\/p>\n He was flooded with responses, such as, “Wish I could attend,” and “I’m impressed. The more they tighten security, the more people wanna go see.”<\/p>\n Minutes later, Stanley reported: “Thousands have gathered. Not in plan. It’s fantastic. The streets are full,” followed by a cryptic: “The streets r havoc…”<\/p>\n Later he explained to Beliefnet,\u00a0“like every other Malaysian, I was there that day to demand free and fair elections. I was there because I personally had noticed how the government was trying to stay in power by cheating in the elections.”<\/p>\n For example, he cited evidence he had seen, such as non-citizen Burmese refugees being given voting ID cards \u2013 and told by the Malaysian government how to cast illegal ballots. “This dirty tactic by the Malaysian government is unacceptable and must be opposed and revealed,” said Stanley.<\/p>\n He spotted government troublemakers within the crowd, who he described as \u201cyoung Malay youths provoking the police and trying to start a fight with them. I drew closer to them and was surprised to notice that they were\u00a0under the influence of\u00a0alcohol. I then tried to calm them and advise them not to join in the provocation. The crowd was smart enough and distanced themselves.<\/p>\n “I was moved by the presence of mixed races that had united for the cause,\u201d he told Beliefnet. \u201cI was even more surprised to see thousands of Chinese Malaysians present there that afternoon. They were previously not interested in these things. I believe that they have finally come to realize how the government systematically oppressed their rights over the years and cheated on them. But Bersih has succeeded in breaking through those barriers and reuniting the races in Malaysia as \u2018one family\u2019 or Anak Bangsa <\/em>Malaysia.<\/p>\n “Around 1:45 pm, we started to march together with the thousands of peaceful protesters towards Dataran Square.\u201d<\/p>\n Friends and family followed Stanley as he texted worldwide live reports of what was unfolding. The day before, he had passed along rumors that the police would be wielding a new anti-protest tool, a “Long Range Acoustic Device” or\u00a0LRAD, developed to create pain-inducing tones. “Bring earplugs for the rally,” had texted Stanley. “Pass the news.\u201d<\/p>\n And now as thousands gathered, \u201ceverything has started ‘way before schedule,\u201d he texted from within the crowd. \u201cThousands are on the streets now.”<\/p>\n A fellow marcher reported from Stanley\u2019s hometown:\u00a0“\u200e20,000 people already at the Esplanade in Penang. The people of Penang must show solidarity with the people of Kuala Lumpur. We are dealing with something bigger than all of us combined.”<\/p>\n Demonstrators texted back and forth comparisons to Bastille Day — when the French monarchy began to splinter.\u00a0“Like the French on\u00a0July 14, 1789,” tweeted one participant,\u00a0“we Malaysians are calling for liberty, equality and fraternity. The people must rise up and join hands with all their Malaysian brothers across the whole of Malaysia and all over the world for free and fair elections.<\/p>\n “We also want to rid this country of greed and corruption, of greed and graft.”<\/p>\n Moments later, Stanley reported: “Believe it or not, over 50,000 people\u00a0have flooded the streets of Kuala Lumpur. Just gave a speech and led the crowd into chanting ‘Bersih! Bersih! Bersih!’\u00a0Massive crowd. Never ever seen this many people in my life.”<\/p>\n A friend back home responded: “God’s blessing with u guys…salute u guys.” Another tweeted: “Victory is with us bro!”<\/p>\n Then things began to heat up. Later Stanley would recall, \u201cJust as a small number of people succeeded in moving away the barricades and ran inside towards Dataran, tear gas was fired into the air. I was far away from the barricades at that time. The crowd was huge and unable to run. The tear gas was intentionally fired in front and at the back of us, preventing us from running away but to inhale the gas. I was choked, my eyes burning, my skin burning, I could not see.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought of giving up and just falling on the ground, but something kept on telling me in my mind, \u2018Run, run!\u2019 and I knew it was Jesus. People were collapsing beside me, falling on the ground. It was terrible. The police did not stop but continued to fire more tear gas, some aimed directly at the protesters.<\/p>\n \u201cTo make matters worse, the light rail train system was shut down, the buses and taxis were not entering town, preventing people from moving out from the city. It was very clear that the police were just waiting for a reason to attack the peaceful protesters and not allow us to move out.<\/p>\n On the scene, Stanley texted: “Tear gas terrible. Difficult to breathe. The crowd has broken into large groups … Big chaos…. Teargas n water canon has been fired…\u00a0I M\u00a0hurt.”<\/p>\n A friend responded:\u00a0“Take care! God is with you.”<\/p>\n A few minutes later, Stanley texted back: “I’m fine guys. just hurt in my legs… Crowd is marching forward. Continuing tear gas and water cannon.”<\/p>\n Then there was silence from Stanley for five minutes until he texted: “The rally has turned violent. Police car just rammed into a\u00a0protester on the street. The crowd is defending. Police have taken their guns out for warning. Situation here is terrible. Police car overturned by angry protesters.<\/p>\n “Police car just missed us. I ran for shelter and\u00a0the car rammed into a building.”<\/p>\n Then, apparently he lost access to the Internet.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>