ALL THE SMILING FACES-MALAYSIANS GALORE

The padang was literally filled to the brim, with hardly even a standing room, papalados distinctly hears Dsai’s voice reverberating through the still night, crisp as ever but with words emitted fluid and not at all halting. People were all over, there was also a pasar malam outside, stretching bazaar- like, offering the lightest snacks to the most somber of clothing plus not discounting the ubiquitous political CDees alongside the sellers playing some- even. Dark blue trucks lined the partly finished road reaching into Jln TAR. The multitudinous rakyat strolled about quite nonchalantly some going away with little kids in tow along with the many more recently arrived. Police personnel were everywhere, some flocking at the food stalls, another grouping together having a bit of a small chat, their merry laughter, fading away into the evening. More were making their rounds platoon like circling around the historical Sports Club. The bright red water cannon, crowd- control, tankers, were, stationed quite a bit far from the celebrations in the like of not anticipating any untoward drama, during the course of the jubilations, yet much prepared- all the same. People kept coming in. Within the playing field, there were loud cheering, synchronized laughter and the insuppressible heavy clapping. Everyone was happily smiling. Grinning too was Auntie Meena together with Uncle Mano clapping thunderously and Mr Lim still on his handphone. Ah Chong and girlfriend were straining out their necks trying to view what was in front, oblivious to the super huge screen right in the middle. Pak Haji Dollah too was straining his ears attempting to- not miss anything that was, uttered by Aun Wah. To say that there were the few thousands in attendance would be a serious misstatement. Howsoever to be adamant about the numbers reaching tens of thousands could reach the littlest of an underestimate but many- many were the rakyat. The police just had to be the killjoy, stopping the event quite prematurely without even anyone having witnessed the countdown whence the clock strikes twelve. Even so, the magnanimous, Dato Seri, as ever, benignly yet soothingly, beseeched, the people to acquiesce and for everyone to head along to their respective abodes. Quite another day tomorrow that is. Wonder what is it that is going to happen two weeks ahead. The rakyat, ever more, kept on arriving. Putrajaya shivers.