Poskod Malaysia

By Zedeck Siew

In an interview with The Star on 2 Dec 2010, KL Mayor Ahmad Fuad Ismail talked about the importance of parks, and stressed the growing need for communal space. “People are living in condos and high-rise buildings,” Fuad said. “They have no space to breathe so they look to DBKL to provide them with a place where they can hang out, interact and relax.”

Contrast that cool-sounding statement with the mayor’s actions the day before. One the morning of 1 Dec, Fuad looked out his office window and saw 30-plus kids playing games on Dataran Merdeka. He threw a fit, and dispatched enforcers to chase the frolicking teens off the turf.

What’s with the mixed messages, Mr Mayor? If we need more communal space so much, why aren’t you letting kids play in Dataran Merdeka?

Apahal Ni?

These kids were from a nearby teen hangout centre who had participated in “Main Rounders Dengan Rakyat Datang Lagi” the previous Sunday. It was a hangout session that saw ordinary Malaysians playing rounders (a softball variant) on Dataran Merdeka.

“It was our monthly event as usual,” says Farhan Azahan, one of the coordinators of the Main Dengan Rakyat (MDR) collective. “There were around 20 kids with us. It was fun, chaotic and kecoh habis.”

After the session, the kids told Farhan that they’d like to make Dataran Merdeka play a weekly activity. “I knew they were going to play again at Dataran Merdeka on Wednesday morning,” Farhan says. None of the MDR people would be present.

The group of teens started at around 7.30am, and things were fine — for a while. “Then one of them messaged me, saying that they were just chased away by DBKL officers,” Farhan explains. “The officers told them that the Mayor was watching them from the DBKL Tower nearby.”

Chased Away

“The officers said that they had been ordered to chase the kids away, or be punished themselves,” Farhan says.

The teens were told that if they wanted to continue playing, they had to rent Dataran Merdeka: a RM500 fee. “Or they could go play in Kepong.”

Farhan thinks it’s ridiculous that the authorities are prohibiting kids from engaging in healthy, outdoor activities. “The kids just took their self-initiative, as they discovered it was a good activity to be held frequently,” Farhan says “Better than loitering around like other kids, especially on school holidays.”

“Come on, the government is promoting a healthy and green lifestyle, right? Dataran Merdeka is one of the most easily-accessible green spaces in KL, via public transport. How can they tell people to go away and play in Kepong?”

Main Dengan Rakyat

The MDR group is a community-driven attempt to reclaim public space, by playing traditional Malaysian games (rounders, baling selipar, bola chop, galah panjang) on Dataran Merdeka and other locations.

“We want more public spaces in KL. We want to have something different from typical shopping-mall hangouts on weekends,” Farhan explains.

“We’re also promoting the idea that, when it comes to recreation, it doesn’t have to be jogging or other things where people have to be dressed in sports attire,” he continues. “Wear anything! Playing anything! MDR aims to make everyone super happy, as they forget age and shyness by playing primary-school padang games!”

It’s Against The Law

When it comes to using Dataran Merdeka for recreation, however, Malaysians have a formidable obstacle: it’s against the law.

“Dataran Merdeka is subject to a whole bunch of by-laws, set up by DBKL,” says visual artist chi too. “There more than 20 of them.”

(chi too is behind several initiatives to encourage outdoor activities and take back disused public space, including MDR and Lepark — which hosts picnic events.)

The by-laws prohibit eating; smoking; sleeping; stepping or standing on the grass; climbing the 100-metre flagpole; and animals — among other things. This is unless there is express written permission by the “Commissioner of the City of Kuala Lumpur”.

You can’t “use any indecent or offensive language or behave in any disorderly or indecent manner”, or be at Dataran Merdeka between 1am to 6am. Neither can you hold any “public address, demonstration, assembly, meeting, gathering or any other activity” — unless you are exempted or have a permit from said Commissioner.

If you do not follow these regulations, you can be fined up to RM2,000, or imprisoned for not more than one year!

“We all need some sort of regulation,” chi too says. “But I think we need to be reasonable in what we allow and prohibit.”

The Rationale?

In the case of Dataran Merdeka, prohibiting citizens from freely utilising the field is particularly ludicrous: many citizens already head there to bersantai on its grounds; it’s an advertised photo-op spot for tourists; a number of the city’s homeless population sleep on its walkways and stairways, because they have no where else to go.

The regulations only make sense if DBKL wants to make money off Dataran Merdeka — as that RM500 rental fee suggests — from organisations and companies holding charity runs and bazaars. If so, then City Hall’s priority for mercenary gain at the expense of citizens is appalling.

Moreover, it’s a symbolic atrocity. Historically, Dataran Merdeka was a cricket green reserved for our British masters; what does it say that independent Malaysians still can’t go there? “What good is a Dataran Merdeka if we are not even ‘merdeka’ to use it?” chi too asks.

“Bangkok has Sanam Luang. Phnom Penh has one that has at least five different aerobic groups on a regular evening. The US has the National Mall. Mongolia has one that is abuzz with activity,” chi too continues. “Then again, they won’t let you do jackshit in Tiananmen Square.”

(Photos from Main Dengan Rakyat)