BERSIH is a coalition of non-governmental organisations which seeks to reform the current electoral system in Malaysia to ensure free, clean and fair elections. Following up on the previous BERSIH rallies, the BERSIH 4.0 rally will be held on the streets of Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu on the 29th and 30th of August 2015.
This time, the participants for BERSIH 4.0 are gathering to make a stand for 6 things: fair and just elections, the freedom of speech, the financial scandals of the Malaysian PM, the fall of the ringgit, the burden of the rakyat for the country’s debts, and to object GST.
To those who will be participating in the rally, the following list of items would be essential for you to bring along.
1) Sunglasses/goggles and a mask
Malaysia is blessed with an awesome tropical climate which brings both sun and rain all year long. We strongly recommend to bring a pair of sunglasses to protect your eyes from the UV rays so that you won’t be squinting throughout the BERSIH 4.0 rally. Of course there is another alternative for eyewear which are goggles to protect your eyes from tear gas. Bring a mask to provide some form of protection against the chemicals in the tear gas too.
2) Small packets of salt
During the previous BERSIH rallies, dealing with tear gas is inevitable. Bring small packets of salts to neutralise the effects of the tear gas and to avoid chocking. Tear gas is usually release from a grenade. Do not panic when you see it, try to get away from the grenade and if possible to a higher ground as most Riot Control Agents are heavier than air and so higher concentrations are nearer to the ground. You can use wet wipes to help ease the pain on your eyes as well instead of rubbing your eyes.
3) Identity Card (IC) and some cash
Remember to bring your Identity Card (IC). You would definitely want your IC to be with you if you happen to be stopped by the police. Also do not bring too much cash with you. Your wallets and purses are not needed because things might get a bit messy and you could lose them easily. Just bring about RM200 in cash, that should be able to suffice for both the days. Keep them close to you in your front pocket or in a waist pouch, don’t carry your items in a handbag or purse as that will be easily lost in the chaos. If you are carrying many other items, put everything in one big backpack so you have less loose items to worry about.
4) Towel and an extra T-shirt
It is quite expected that things might get messy in view that it is the first BERSIH rally to be held for 2 days, bring a change of clothing. If you plan to wear a yellow top, we recommend you to bring a spare T-shirt to change into after the rally. This will keep you “disguised” when you leave the rally so that you won’t be easily spotted by the authorities. Towels are essential to protect your eyes or cover your nose if you are expose to any chemicals or gas.
5) Mineral water or Isotonic drink
Bring along mineral water or isotonic drink to avoid dehydration. It’s also advisable to bring some food or light snacks along. Remember to dispose all your wastage and throw them in the bin. Since you’re going for a BERSIH rally, do keep in mind to keep everything “bersih” as well.
6) Glasses instead of contact lenses
We’d usually encourage you to look fashionable, but with the high possibility of tear gas being released, you should only wear your glasses and not contact lenses. You won’t want chemicals to contaminate your contact lenses and result in a bad eye infection.
7) Tents, sleeping bags, fold-able chairs
BERSIH 4.0 is a 2-day rally, so tents or sleeping bags should be needed for you to rest at night. If you have a larger sized tent, opt to share as space is limited.
8) Medication
Bring all your necessary medication such as inhalers, insulin, band aids, etc. There are going to be a lot of people in the rally. Previous BERSIH rallies had more than 100,000 participants, it would be quite hard to seek for medical attention with such a large group of participants. Bring extra to share with people who might need it.
9) Handphone and Powerbank
Remember to bring your handphone for emergency purposes. With a handphone, you can upload and update social media on the current happenings. Bring a powerbank to avoid having a dead phone.
10) Dress appropriately
We recommend T-shirt, long or short pants and shoes. There might be a need to do lots of walking and running, so best is to wear a pair of sports shoes. But then again, Jurassic World teaches us that a pair of good high heels can outrun a dinosaur!
Last but not least…
You may also want to bring along a donation tin. An estimate of about 100,000 is expected for BERSIH 4.0. Bring a donation tin and you might end up being RM2.6 billion richer. You’ll never know! Lightning could strike twice! MALAYSIA BOLEH!
Have more items to add to this list? Do share and let us know so that more people will be prepared.
This article was adapted and edited from an article on TallyPress, an online ranking magazine that revolves around the hottest topics in Malaysia. The original post can be read here.