Cross-country, human-rights biking: a Freedom Film Fest 2009 Competition winner

In the first week of December 2008, two convoys of bicycles set off from Alor Setar and Skudai. Aside from protective gear, the cyclists sported red T-shirts - these identified them as participants of the "People - The Force of Change" campaign. For the next two weeks, they became Public Menace No 1.

Only natural: the cross-country ride was organised by Jaringan Rakyat Tertindas (or JERIT, auw!), a coalition of blue-collar workers, students, urban settlers, and non-governmental organisations. Late in the course of the campaign, the authorities detained many of the (mostly) teenaged participants, to "save them from being misused and exploited by irresponsible people".

The journey was hazardous - no doubt about it. Riders had braved arson (8 bikes were torched during a stopover in Penang), arrests (more than 80 busts were made), and police harassment (road-blocks, questions into whether the cyclists belonged to secret societies). So yeah. These kids really needed saving.

Such speed-bumps notwithstanding, the bikes eventually got to Parliament, where they served a memo advocating workers' rights, universal housing, and other such worthy stuff.

As you can tell, the JERIT campaign got a tonne of press coverage - but Soh Sook Hwa's Kayuh - one of the three Freedom Film Fest (FFF) 2009 competition winners - offers a visual, insider's perspective of the 16-day odyssey. We talked to Sook Hwa about what the bike-ride was like, what it wanted to achieve, and why it is important for Malaysians to participate in our democracy.

~Your film, Kayuh, is an account of the JERIT cycling campaign. What was your part in it? What was it designed to achieve?

I was a coordinator for the northern part of the bicycle campaign. I followed the whole 16-day journey.

The campaign was a timely effort. After the March 2008 election, people are looking for more real changes in our society. However, a lot of core issues have been overshadowed by twisted political scenarios, and the economy - which distract people from the underlying causes of their problems.

We wanted to raise awareness on 6 main issues: the need for a Minimum Wage Act; adequate housing; repeal of draconian laws such as the Internal Security Act (ISA); control of the price of goods; no privatisation of basic amenities and services; and the importance of restoring local council elections.

Finally, we would go to Parliament to submit a memorandum consisting of these points.

What was it like, on the road? You came under fire by the authorities - your bikes were even torched. How did participants react to these obstacles?

As the campaign was aimed to reach out to the public at each stop, we purposely used the old trunk roads that connect the small towns and rural areas. We organised local programmes at some stops, and did leafleting.

Both teams of cyclists were harassed by the police. They mounted roadblocks, carried out their so-called "regular checks". They used various excuses to stop us. They served summons to the Johor team for riding on bicycles without reflectors. They accused us of exploiting children. We ended up using a lot of time to deal with the police.

We tried to fulfil some of their requests - but if they were not reasonable, we had to stand strong. It is our right to cycle.

But we also gained something from the police. The JERIT campaign was published in the media every day; it helped us spread our demands to the public. And, somehow, it also "motivated" our cyclists.

Why is it important for people to participate in activism?

Even if I'm not a member of any political party, I see what I'm doing as political work. For me, the rakyat can't leave politics to the politicians. When we talk about a democratic society, we are not only talking about elections held once in five years; it's not just limited to voting rights.

Democracy is nothing if we have no participation in the decision-making process. We should look forward to playing a more proactive role.

So why make this film? What are you hoping to achieve?

I was inspired by the whole campaign. Ordinary people took up a pro-active role in mobilising at a grassroots level. That's a really good experience. I want to capture the spirit of the cyclists, with the hope that it will inspire other people to be involved in the struggle for a better Malaysia.

~

(Kayuh premieres at Freedom Film Fest 2009 on Saturday, 3 October, 7pm, at The Annexe Gallery in Central Market. The FFF's KL leg runs from 2 to 4 October. Don't miss our blog-interviews with the other FFF winners: Rahmat Haron on the Memali massacre; and The S-Ploited on the Perak political crisis.)