Fireworks and Singing… What a Ceramah

I was there.
I was at Han Chiang last night and it was one of those moments where I had to pinch myself to see if I was really part of the crowd of 60,000 people/Penangites + 10,000 people (outside the Han Chiang fence, by the road, spilling off the road shoulders, obstructing traffic, eliciting curious motorists).
Plus it was a great way to celebrate my 34th birthday!
We were there around 8pm, after parking behind Maybank Greenlane. Like the other day, we knew we would not be able to find any parking if we did go around the Han Chiang area.
What warmed the heart was the people in red shirts (I am wearing red on polling day tomorrow) in support of DAP. Basically it truly made me feel more Malaysian than any of the ‘put on’ ads in the newspapers these days.
(As an aside, I am really sick and tired of the crap in the newspapers these days, especially The Star. My newspaper man won’t like it but Nic and I have decided NOT to buy The Star anymore. Instead we will subscribe to more substantial reading matter like MalaysiaKini which by the way is free for everyone to log in and read till 10 March.)
When we got there, whoa, the crowd was massive. Everyone sat on the field grounds with a kind of expectation in the air. I couldn’t even see the stage. The sea of people/Penangites was really ‘sejauh mata memandang’. It started drizzling around eightish and this time, boy, were we prepared. We unfolded our ponchos and wore them, and could even offer the 2 men standing next to us our green umbrella.
No one left even when the rain pelted us harder. As if people were saying, damn, bring it on but we’re not leaving. No way.
Finally even the rain abated and everyone could sit properly and cheer the DAP speakers on. It wasn’t only the DAP speakers (Karpal Singh, Lim Guan Eng, Lim Kit Siang, etc.) who spurred the crowd on. There was also the PKR people led by Dato Zahrain. It was pity he didn’t really introduce them one by one.
With fireworks, Jeff Ooi singing and a carnival atmosphere, it was worthwhile battling the traffic and crowd.
I took some photos but of course, what can my little Canon do right amidst the big boys with their bigger cameras? Sate yourself with these photos of the event.