1,000 vigils all over Malaysia, and the world.
On 1 August 2012, Safer Malaysia invited Malaysians who wish to live in a safer environment, and want to stop feeling afraid, to light a candle for a safer Malaysia.
The vigil was hosted at One Utama’s Central Park and started about 9.15 pm.
More than a hundred people attended the vigil. Grand mums, Grandfathers, families, and young kids were joyfully lighting candles craving for reform, and urging the government to make the country safe again.
The police who were invited to the vigil made their presence felt. Though they stayed away from the scene, they were always supportive of the vigil.
The Bar Council also sent a monitoring team consisting of Andrew Khoo, chairperson of the Bar Council Human Rights Committee, and Roger Chan, a member of the same committee. Their monitoring presence was welcomed, and they remained non-partisan throughout.
While this vigil was going on at One Utama, another sort of vigil was happening, all around Malaysia and the world. Safer Malaysia had also invited Malaysians to a “virtual vigil” — to snap photos of their vigils, wherever they were, and upload these photos on social media channels.
On social media, Safer Malaysia found well over a thousand Malaysians from all over the nation and all over the world had taken part in the virtual vigil.
Supporters who were not at the park, and who were not connected to any social media (yes, there are still many out there who are not on any form of social media) sent e-mails and text messages of their own vigils to the initiators of Safer Malaysia.
Images from Kota Kinabalu to Kota Bharu began to appear on Facebook and Twitter from 8 pm.
Safer Malaysia also received images from Malaysians in SanFrancisco, Houston, Florida, Dublin, Genoa, Hamburg, Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing, Melbourne, and many more locations all over the world. They were all concerned for the safety of their family and friends.
The vigil brought together thousands of Malaysians who are unhappy over the issue of safety and security. They have spoken through this peaceful vigil. The message is clear from these Malaysians: that they all seek a safe place to live, and don’t want to live in fear anymore.
For Safer Malaysia, the vigil is merely the beginning. With the moral support received, we will now carry out our plans and do our best.
Towards a Safer Malaysia!
Nice!