opinion Sept 20, 1998 will forever remain etched in the collective memory of our people. Little can be done that will obliterate the significance of this day in the hearts and minds of many Malaysians.

When the doors of the private residence of a man - who only three weeks earlier had been the nation's deputy prime minister - were smashed and broken down on that fateful day, it symbolised different things to different people.

At the personal level (and this is not to be underrated as the personal is of no less significance than the public or the political), this aggressive event has surely left its poignant mark on Anwar Ibrahim's wife, children and family.

In fact, this shameful episode has best been captured by our national poet laureate, Usman Awang, in his poem Jentayu Yang Luka (Untuk Wan Azizah):

Tiba-tiba dia bangkit
dengan kelembutan yang tetap sopan
berdiri di barisan paling hadapan
sebagai pahlawan keadilan

Lama dulu wajahnya tersembunyi
.........
.........

Dia adalah jentayu yang luka
terbang mengepak menyongsong gumpalan awan
mencakar menjeritkan kebebasan dan keadilan
mencabar dunia yang semakin kejam.

Public awareness

However, on another level the events signaled that the tentative steps towards ingraining the values of a civil society, or masyarakat madani, in Malaysia had ground to a temporary halt.

Subsequent events that have transpired have however shown that the public is no longer willing to be pushed around or to be so malleable in their thinking. People are generally more aware of their rights and are willing to stand up for them.

Standing up for their rights are now worn as badges of honour and not moments to be avoided.

It has certainly shown that "the power of the powerless" - as elucidated by Czech President Vaclav Havel in his seminal work - is not a theoretical construct. In fact, the power of the people is one that is celebratory in nature, one that chooses to affirm the possibilities in life and continually seeks to engender creative change for the betterment of his or her society.

Where previous generations of students, youth leaders and intellectuals had spoken of the process of conscientisation ala Paolo Freire, the tragic events of Sept 20 overnight conscientised vast segments of the population.

The blows rained on the ex-deputy prime minister by the then Inspector General of Police shocked the entire nation when it became public knowledge.

The fact that Anwar was blindfolded with hands tied behind his back during the incident was too surreal a happening to comprehend; but when it was finally revealed to the world through his first court appearance several weeks later, the black mark around his eye galvanised the attention and shocked the world within and beyond Malaysia's borders.

Public indignation and anger was so manifest that a Royal Commission was set up to enquire into Anwar's injuries whilst in police custody.

That initially the prime minister chose to depict the injuries as self-inflicted only heightened the people's anger. Although this was not apparent from reading the mainstream media, it was palpable enough for those who were in contact with the people.

And the fact that the head of Wanita Umno suggested the same thing added to the annoyance of the ordinary Malaysians who up till then had chosen to believe that theirs was a non-violent society where problems are resolved through discussions or ultimately elections but certainly not through terror or violence.

Sept 20 also breached the Malaysian innocence with regards to those whom the public had entrusted civil authority. Malaysians had by and large trusted, deferred and gave due respect to their leaders. But now they saw that those leaders, whom they had elected into office were also capable of meting out acts of injustice towards those they were supposed to protect.

The Malay proverb, harapkan pagar, pagar makan padi, is instructive in this respect.

Downward spiral

Since then things have appeared to be on a downward spiral. Freedom of expression has been curtailed. Alternative expressions and points of view do not seem to exist in this country if one merely had recourse to officially endorsed mainstream media.

The voice of political parties in the alternative front - Barisan Alternatif - are not given their due attention in the mass media. Indeed, the top selling Harakah, which until then was allowed twice a week to publish, has now been restricted to only twice a month as with publications of other parties. Other independent publications such as Detik have had their publication permits revoked.

The Internal Security Act has been invoked again to detain people without trial on charges many lawyers best described as flimsy. The difference now is that the wives and mothers of the detainees go out to speak publicly at the high-handed action meted out to their husbands and sons.

All in all, Sept 20, 1998 marks a sea change in the nation's journey 44 years down the road after independence. It would surely be not too much to expect that along with the visible physical development there would be a parallel development in terms of humanitarian consideration. One would have thought that Hobbes's observation that "life is nasty, brutish and short " would no longer ring true more than 200 years later.

We, who pride ourselves on being modern and civilised, will certainly need to consider our shortcomings in this regard.

The noted Indonesian poet W S Rendra says in his poem:

aku terdengar
jerit hewan
yang terluka

(we hear
the anguished cry
of the wounded)

Continuing injustices

Perhaps we need to learn, not only merely to observe, but to bear witness to grievances and continuing injustices being perpetrated in our society - all done in our name.

Sept 20 is perhaps the right time for us to reflect on these matters and if possible to take note of what Julien Benda in his book Trehison de Clercs says on the intellectuals who choose to be passive bystanders when their nation is grappling with its soul.

Anwar had been the person most identified with pushing the boundaries of public discourse and the engagement of the citizenry in affairs of state. To this end he had pushed the ideas of a civil society not only in theory but in practice; albeit within the confining parameters that he was in.

Although the ideas for a civil society has been laid down by the founding fathers of our nation and to some extent prescribed for in the relevant provisions of the Federal Constitution, it was Anwar and his generation who captured the public imagination and helped to enlarge public space.

Thus, Sept 20 should be celebrated as enabling greater number of people to exercise their independent judgement as well as showing greater concern in the ordering of the public realm in their society.

We should in fact be moving towards a kinder, understanding and tolerant dispensation which celebrates difference.

RAJA AHMAD AMINULLAH is a cultural activist and student of history. He is currently pursuing his passion in writing essays and poetry.