Quiet week at the Beach Club

The Bersih 2.0 rally is really ruining businesses located the main KL area, and The Beach Club, one of this city's most popular hangouts is suffering.

"It's been really quiet in the Club since the last few days," says one of the members of Band Superfriends I met today. "Even the regulars pool are cut by half. We've never seen so many space to walk across on the floor."

We were at Midvalley and the lunch tables are filled with friends and music-minded folks. We're just simply Malaysians trying to eke a living, the bunch of us. No righters, no lefters.

"Since Ambiga has had her chance to sit down with the King, how come the rally is still on? Wasn't the rally meant to deliver a memorandum to His Highness? Couldn't she do away with the rally and just hand it over? Must it be after a big fuss? Must they wait for people to get hurt? We're already hurting. My boss says Saturday is an off-day, so that means I'm losing my weekend commissions, damn my pocket is hurting!" enthused a friend.

"What are their demands anyway? Beyond using the ink and the undi pos issue I don't see any other point. As for a clean spick-and-span election, if you can't trust EC then how come at the last GE results were so mixed? Don't we already have neutral party observers since way before?" another friend mumbled in between mouthfuls of Japanese bento.

"The other thing I don't understand, Ambiga said, I read in The Malay Mail la. Ambiga felt she didn't need to apply for a permit now that the King says OK, but said they are making her apply. Next she said Bersih won't take responsibility if rally gets out of hand, then expects the police to be the one who should take responsibility to ensure rally is done without ruckus. Isn't she the one doing the organising? Shouldn't organiser be responsible?" I asked.

"Ambiga do not want to take responsibility, but can easily hand over the task to the police if her 5,000 marshalls could not control the crowd. But will she be one of the 5,000 on the street among the common janes and joes? Am I the only one who sees the Bersih organisers as selfish? I bet if someone gets hurt they will easily wash their hands. I'd hate to think that such educated folks will do something as sneaky as eluding responsibility for their own actions," ranted one of the more serious guys - the Abang among the group at the lunch table.

"I'd hate to think of things that can go wrong that day. We have to work. And Beach Club is too near Stadium Merdeka. Tomorrow night the band may have to walk to work cause all the roads will be closed. Some of us will be carrying heavy equipment!" said the Korgian.

"And some of us got a bad leg and a yellow Kenari!" whined the other musician.

"Is it too much to hope for the Club to grant us a night off, you think? I rather not get my pay for that day than risk my own safety!" the voice of the band concluded.

I really hope nothing bad will happen. Guys, let's hope nothing bad happens.