FEW may remember her but those who were old enough would be able to visualise a former English teacher, Anne Ooi who achieved near-celebrity status after an iconic image of her appeared in all newspapers.
According to a brief statement issued by BERSIH today, Ooi, who is fondly known as “Aunty Bersih” has passed on last night at the age of 78.
According to the statement, the senior citizen from Setapak epitomises the courage of “thousands, if not millions, of ordinary Malaysian citizens who care about our nation enough to speak up and do something when things are not right.”
Ooi’s legacy will surely remind many young people of her courage for her participation in the BERSIH 2.0 rally – also dubbed ‘the Walk for Democracy – when she was among 50,000 who walked for Malaysian democracy.
Publicity shy
Details about her death are, however, scanty and the cause of her death is not known but given her age, it is likely to be due to old age.
This is probably her wish to stay away from the limelight after she was featured in the news as the Auntie Bersih who encountered tear gas and water cannons when she participated in the BERSIH 2.0 rally on July 9, 2011.
Despite her age, Ooi was one of the many citizens who were arrested by the police. This angered thousands of moderate Malaysians from all walks of life to subsequently participate in BERSIH 3.0 rally.
Known briefly to this writer who attempted to seek her out, she was apprehensive whenever the media contacted her.
“It’s not my intention to be in the limelight,” she spoke over the phone when contacted. “I just want to see that people in this country can enjoy their democratic rights to choose whom they want to choose. I don’t want any more publicity.”
The Movement for Clean and Fair Elections, BERSIH steering committee chairman Muhammad Faisal Abdul Aziz described her as “the iconic image of Aunty Bersih dressed in a bright yellow T-shirt and holding white chrysanthemums, drenched with chemical-laced water outside the Tung Shin Hospital, became the defining image of BERSIH 2 rally.”
Malaysiakini, in an exclusive interview dated July 21 that year, wrote: “The image of a lone, elderly and frail woman clad in a yellow T-shirt, drenched to the bone in chemical-laced water amid the backdrop of a vanguard of riot police flanked by water cannon trucks, has become a symbol of resilience and resistance in the face of oppression.”
Tributes pouring in
Former BERSIH co-chair Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan in her tribute, told FocusM: “Aunty Bersih was a shining star of BERSIH. She was the epitome of courage and we will never ever forget her. We thank her for standing by our side so bravely. May she rest in peace.”
In a longer statement, the former BERSIH 2.0 steering committee wrote:
To the family of our beloved Aunty Bersih:
We are so sorry to hear of the passing of Aunty Bersih. Please accept our heartfelt condolences. Aunty Bersih was a legend in her own right as she became a symbol of the fight for justice and free and fair elections at all the Bersih rallies in Malaysia.
Her courage, her commitment and her determination earned her the name Aunty Bersih and that is who she will always be to us. She will forever be a part of the BERSIH story and will live in all our hearts as the shining light who fearlessly fought for what was right and just.
“Rest in peace dear Aunty Bersih for you have done your part and fought the good fight till the end. We will miss you.”
The BERSIH 2.0 rally was a peaceful street demonstration in Kuala Lumpur held on July 9, 2011 as a follow-up to the 2007 BRRSIH rally. May Aunty Bersih’s sacrifices be remembered by all in the corridors of power at Putrajaya. – March 26, 2024
