Yellow Color, Symbol Of Resistance Feared By Malaysian Government

The action of the Clean Movement with a yellow shirt demands that Najib Razak withdraw from the seat of Prime Minister of Malaysia. (Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - Corrupt leaders are often a sign of danger in a country. Narrative is an incident in Malaysia. Najib Razak is seen as a corrupt leader. The Malaysian PM is openly using power to enrich himself.

The Malaysian people are furious, not playing. They are united. They tried to fight back. The fight made the action take to the streets happen everywhere. In particular, they made yellow T-shirts a symbol of resistance. A color that makes the owner of the paro and fear power.

Power often makes many officials dark their eyes. Najib Razak, for example. The seasoned politician has repeatedly stirred up resistance to corruption. He promised to eradicate corruption when he became Malaysian PM.

The sweet promise bore fruit. Najib managed to rise to become Malaysian Prime Minister from 2009. However, the Malaysian people had to swallow the harsh reality. Najib, who initially received the support of the Malaysian people, became a common enemy.

He traveled state money via state investment funds (1MDB) in fantastic quantities. In fact, it touched the figure of Rp9.8 trillion. His family mainly his wife lives in spree. Najib himself often underestimates the people who protest.

He feels he has power. Whoever interferes with his power will surely be shaken by his existence from the political stage. Gross political orchestra burning the anger of the people in the neighboring country. The Malaysian people are starting to get fed up.

Najib is considered a leader who broke his promise arrogant and corrupt too. The welfare of the Malaysian people was never achieved in the Najib era. All kinds of life problems made the people fight back. They chose to carry out demonstrations on the streets.

The action that was launched was known as the Clean Movement. The main demand is for Najib Razak to resign from power. In particular, the action used the yellow shirt as a symbol of resistance. A color that is considered special for the people of Melayu in the past.

The color is considered to have the value of courage, heroism, and piety. Now, the citizens of Kuning are a symbol of resistance. In fact, the former Malaysian Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, joined in wearing a yellow shirt and merged into demonstrations with the Malaysian people because of the dilapidated leadership of Najib.

"There are some people who criticize me now for supporting Clean. Clean is also the people. Not all of them use yellow. Many do not wear yellow. I am here to show solidarity to the people," Mahathir said as quoted by Liputan 6, 30 August 2015.

The Malaysian government was furious. They are afraid of yellow. The color is considered to be disruptive to national stability. As a result, the Malaysian government began to consider those who used yellow T-shirts as a threat.

Najib himself tried to disturb and underestimate the Clean movement. The demonstration used the yellow shirt as a lowly act. They are allegedly not in love with Malaysia and want chaos. This condition was because the yellow shirt made Malaysia's image as a peaceful country disturbed.

Najib's reaction seemed firm. He considered the movement a small matter. However, the government's response was not so. Najib's government is like a yellow paro. The proof is that the Malaysian High Court officially banned the use of yellow T-shirts on February 24, 2016.

The government considers the yellow shirt to be a symbol of anti-government. Anyone wearing a yellow shirt is punishable by a crime and will be fined up to Rp. 16 million. The overreaction made the Malaysian people not give up. They continued to fight back.

The Clean Movement actually openly uses yellow T-shirts in every action to take to the streets. In fact, on the commemoration of Malaysia's independence day which falls on August 31, 2016. The match made the situation even more disrupted.

Ambassadors from many countries consider the situation dangerous. The Indonesian embassy even issued a warning to its citizens not to use yellow T-shirts every Clean movement to take to the streets.

"The Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur appealed to the Indonesian people to stay away from demonstrations. Indonesians in Malaysia are asked to avoid and not be in crowded places where demonstrations could potentially be held on November 19, 2016"

"We urge you not to wear red or yellow T-shirts on that date. Protesters are rumored to be wearing these colored clothes during the demonstration," said the Social and Cultural Information Function of the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Trigustono Supriyanto as quoted on the Republika page, November 18, 2016

Clean action with his yellow shirt then continued until Najib really stepped down in 2018. Like a ladder fell. Najib was also convicted of corruption with a sentence of 12 years in prison in 2020. This narrative is proof that the state was once afraid of color.