After two weeks of physical toil and mental harassment by the police, Jerit cyclists hit their last stop

By Wong Choon Mei
More than 120 cyclists of the nationwide ‘The People - The Force of Change’ protest campaign, made a grand entry to Parliament House today, escorted on foot by opposition lawmakers who helped paved the way amidst heavy police presence that included two light strike force trucks, a mobile unit and a helicopter.
Cheering the riders on for their message of reform, and also for their bravery and resoluteness in the face of the physical hardship and mental harassment they had to endure to reach the hallowed grounds of Parliament were leaders such as Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timur), R Sivarasa (PKR-Subang), Tian Chua (PKR-Batu), Gobind Singh Deo (DAP-Puchong) and Mahfuz Omar (PAS-Pokok Sena).
Also on hand to greet them was D Jeyakumar (PSM-Sungai Siput), who together with Rawang assembly woman Gan Pei Nei, was recently arrested and later released by police who had wanted to stop the cyclathon for fear that it might embarrass Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s Barisan Nasional government.
“We congratulate all the cyclists, especially the young ones, who showed the nation and the world what it means to brave and how important it is to have hope and to have principles - this is what it means to be Malaysian, this is the calibre of Malaysians,” said Sivarasa, who is also KeADILan vice president.
“At the same time, we criticize the police for overreacting. Whatever their motive, scare tactics, especially on our young, can never be condoned and must be exposed,” Sivarasa added.
“The cause is a good one and I felt it deserved my full support. But the police were being unreasonable, and I wanted to show the riders - give them some comfort, some protection - that if they were not doing anything wrong, then they should not be afraid. If the police insist on arresting, then so be it,” Jeyakumar told Suara KeADILan.
Heavy police surveillance
At least three busloads of cyclists and their supporters arrived and alighted at the vicinity of the National Museum this morning. The 250-strong multi-racial group, that included both senior citizens and children, was watched by about 100 plainclothes and uniformed police personnel.
A few kilometrea away at Parliament House were parked two Light Strike Force trucks, with another 50 police personnel on standby. A mobile unit was also stationed there, while a police helicopter circled the area.
“The large number of police at the Parliament entrance and a helicopter in the air, they should be busy hunting down criminals rather than cyclists,” Jeyakumar said.
Police had stopped the cyclists, Jerit organisers and their supporters from entering Parliament for an hour, relenting only after a flurry of negotiations and appeals from opposition MPs.
The people more important than the PM
At the entrance to the Parliament building, Jerit coordinator and PSM secretary-general S Arutchelvan greeted the cyclists.
The riders had originally wanted to meet Abdullah and Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim to hand over a six-point memorandum seeking reform on key issues affecting the nation - the abolition of the oppressive Internal Security Act, better housing, setting a minimum wage, controlling the prices of goods, cleaner council elections and stopping privatisation of basic amenities.
However, their hope of being able to personally voice their aspirations to the prime minister faded as the amount of police harassment grew during their 16 day-tour of the country.
Nevertheless, they won something else perhaps even more significant than the friendship of the prime minister - the hearts and minds of the people across the nation who admired their courage and respected their cause.
The cyclists’ memorandum was eventually handed to Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Senator T Murugiah.
Meanwhile some 200 others - cyclists and supporters - were taken in a bus to the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall for lunch and to wait for the return of the team from Parliament.
There will be a certificate-giving ceremony for the cyclists later in the day.

SAS: At last, Jerit had made their sweat accepted and appreciated, dont bother about policemen, dont bother about Police Chief.... i salute u guys..