Although elected representation has its flaws, and I support the views and efforts of a handful of progressive royals, something just didn’t sit right with this call for royal intervention to stop the weakening of the institutions of accountability.

In my discussions on the complexities of this issue, I was pointed towards Spain, which has a constitutional monarchy just like Malaysia. In a widely received historical account, King Juan Carlos in 1981 thwarted a military coup by appearing on national television and supporting the democratically elected government.

This was the same Spain that voted out the conservative government after the Madrid bombings in 2004. So, I wondered, does this mean that there should be the option of a non-politically aligned head of state to fall back on for democracy to thrive? But, won’t having a protector-protected mentality lead to unequal power relations? Isn’t the check and balance function of the judiciary, executive and legislature the key to upholding the Constitution?

I also received an article by Farish Noor that talked about the King of Thailand’s role in the student revolution of the 70s. In his article, the monarch was initially supportive of the revolt against the army, but later withdrew support as it became obvious that democratic reform includes wider social and political reforms.

The lesson from the massacre that ensued, he argued, is that "any democratic reform must take into account the will of the demos – the people themselves – and give voice to the masses and not the elite." I nodded animatedly in agreement as I finished the reading.

But why then is the petition to the King garnering so much support? Is our self-agency limited to egging on a person of perceived power to speak for us? Or is the situation so fragile that this is the only solution? Am I so naive to think that we can undo this dilemma we’re in without intervention from the "higher powers"? Or am I being unrealistic, and can change only happen in Malaysia only through the "correct" connections with those in positions of power? Why are we feeling so disenfranchised?

I really have to thank Fahmi Reza, the independent film-maker of the powerful and carefully researched documentary, Sepuluh Tahun Sebelum Merdeka, for illuminating the day with hope. He told the story of the consciousness of the people who realised, as free beings, that they have a right not to be ruled over.

The power to end the rule was not within the rulers, but within the people themselves. It tells the story of an alternative constitution, the People’s Constitution, drafted by Putera-AMCJA, a coalition of mostly grass-roots, left-wing political parties. A progressive and inclusive spirit of a nation that could have nurtured a Malaysia less ethnically and religiously divided, and perhaps, politics less entrenched in client-patronage.

Despite efforts to engage with the British colonialists, the groups advocating the People’s Constitution were repeatedly ignored. The colonialists chose instead to negotiate with another group of people, whom we continue to celebrate for their achievements that led to our nation’s Merdeka. A nationwide shutdown, or hartal was then organised and achieved – the intense political activity by women and men at the grassroots that led to the hartal was the high-point of the documentary for me.

I was awed that this electrifying consciousness of activism was happening in my very homeland. I’ve read about labour strikes, strikes against sexual harassment by plantation workers, even strikes by newspapers in Malaya of the 1930s and 1940s, but never on this grand scale. I was quickly brought to ground with a deep sense of loss, as the story went on to tell of the inevitable crackdown by the colonialists and their supporters. It is in the fervent period leading up to the hartal of Oct 20, 1947 that I put my faith.

My faith in shedding this feeling of helplessness and reclaiming our power as the people. We are, after all, a young nation; the bane of youth may be folly, but the boon of it is the wisdom, confidence and courage that is yet to come.

Tze Yeng thinks that celebrating Hari Hartal on Oct 20 every year is a fantastic idea. Visit http://10tahun.blogspot.com/

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