Occupy Dataran
Encyclopedia
Occupy Dataran is an autonomous grassroots initiative based in Kuala Lumpur
, that aims to create a platform to experiment participatory democracy
based on the popular assembly
model.
According to their official Facebook page, they aim to "reclaim Dataran Merdeka
as an open and democratic space for people to gather, discuss and explore an alternative to the current representative democracy
". It also aims to "redefine democratic participation beyond representative democracy, and imagine a new political culture beyond race, ideology and political affiliation". Besides this, it is also for people to get together, hang out, organize activities & spend the night at Dataran Merdeka
. Participants of Occupy Dataran have gathered every Saturday from 8pm - 6am at Dataran Merdeka
.
Part of Occupy Dataran is the "KL People's Assembly" where participants gather to share ideas, address problems, explore alternatives, propose solutions and make decisions. It is also open to other activities.
. The first Occupy Dataran was planned to coincide with the EO6 overnight vigil organised by civil society groups, which was later cancelled due to the release of the EO6. Nevertheless, Occupy Dataran continued.
The following Saturday, August 6th, the first official KL People’s Assembly took place. The procedures and basic structures were discussed and agreed upon based on a collective agreement or consensus. Some of the rules include that the Assembly would be structured in a horizontal and non-hierarchical manner without a leader or governing body, a weekly rotation of assembly moderators, usage of hand gestures to express votes and that each vote is equal and everyone’s voice is heard.
and direct participatory democratic processes". It starts from 8pm to 11pm, every Saturday.
The Assembly is structured in a horizontal and non-hierarchical manner with no leader or governing council. All members of the Assembly have equal standing and rights. The procedures, processes and ground rules were discussed and agreed upon collectively by the Assembly during their first meeting on 6 August 2011 based on a Consensus decision-making
process.
The Assembly is facilitated by a moderator that is weekly rotated. Other roles that are weekly rotated are minute-takers, time-keepers, photo documenters and info person. Every member of the Assembly is free to express an opinion or propose an idea to be discussed and voted upon during Assembly.
, Occupy Dataran held a 12-hour program at Dataran Merdeka on the same day starting from 4:00pm. . Over 200 people attended 15 October's Occupy Dataran, the largest since it started.
The following morning, The Malaysian Insider reported that Occupy Dataran is an offshoot of Occupy Wall Street
. However, the first Occupy Dataran assembly was held on 30 July 2011, one and a half months before the first Occupy Wall Street assembly
.
Related articles
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, that aims to create a platform to experiment participatory democracy
Participatory democracy
Participatory Democracy, also known as Deliberative Democracy, Direct Democracy and Real Democracy , is a process where political decisions are made directly by regular people...
based on the popular assembly
Popular assembly
A popular or people's assembly is a gathering called to address issues of importance to participants. Assemblies tend to be freely open to participation and operate by direct democracy...
model.
According to their official Facebook page, they aim to "reclaim Dataran Merdeka
Dataran Merdeka
Merdeka Square is located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is situated in front of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. It was here the Union Flag was lowered and the Malayan flag hoisted for the first time at midnight on August 31, 1957...
as an open and democratic space for people to gather, discuss and explore an alternative to the current representative democracy
Representative democracy
Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principle of elected individuals representing the people, as opposed to autocracy and direct democracy...
". It also aims to "redefine democratic participation beyond representative democracy, and imagine a new political culture beyond race, ideology and political affiliation". Besides this, it is also for people to get together, hang out, organize activities & spend the night at Dataran Merdeka
Dataran Merdeka
Merdeka Square is located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is situated in front of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. It was here the Union Flag was lowered and the Malayan flag hoisted for the first time at midnight on August 31, 1957...
. Participants of Occupy Dataran have gathered every Saturday from 8pm - 6am at Dataran Merdeka
Dataran Merdeka
Merdeka Square is located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is situated in front of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. It was here the Union Flag was lowered and the Malayan flag hoisted for the first time at midnight on August 31, 1957...
.
Part of Occupy Dataran is the "KL People's Assembly" where participants gather to share ideas, address problems, explore alternatives, propose solutions and make decisions. It is also open to other activities.
Background
Occupy Dataran started on July 30th 2011, with a group of people who were inspired by the 15-M Movement and the 2011 Spanish protests2011 Spanish protests
The 2011 Spanish protests, also referred to as the 15-M Movement and the Indignants movement, are a series of ongoing demonstrations in Spain whose origin can be traced to social networks and Real Democracy NOW among other civilian digital platforms and 200 other small associations...
. The first Occupy Dataran was planned to coincide with the EO6 overnight vigil organised by civil society groups, which was later cancelled due to the release of the EO6. Nevertheless, Occupy Dataran continued.
The following Saturday, August 6th, the first official KL People’s Assembly took place. The procedures and basic structures were discussed and agreed upon based on a collective agreement or consensus. Some of the rules include that the Assembly would be structured in a horizontal and non-hierarchical manner without a leader or governing body, a weekly rotation of assembly moderators, usage of hand gestures to express votes and that each vote is equal and everyone’s voice is heard.
KL People's Assembly
According to the official Facebook page, the KL People's Assembly aims to be "an open, egalitarian and democratic platform for people to share ideas, address problems, explore alternatives, propose solutions and make decisions on any issues collectively through consensus decision-makingConsensus decision-making
Consensus decision-making is a group decision making process that seeks the consent, not necessarily the agreement, of participants and the resolution of objections. Consensus is defined by Merriam-Webster as, first, general agreement, and second, group solidarity of belief or sentiment. It has its...
and direct participatory democratic processes". It starts from 8pm to 11pm, every Saturday.
The Assembly is structured in a horizontal and non-hierarchical manner with no leader or governing council. All members of the Assembly have equal standing and rights. The procedures, processes and ground rules were discussed and agreed upon collectively by the Assembly during their first meeting on 6 August 2011 based on a Consensus decision-making
Consensus decision-making
Consensus decision-making is a group decision making process that seeks the consent, not necessarily the agreement, of participants and the resolution of objections. Consensus is defined by Merriam-Webster as, first, general agreement, and second, group solidarity of belief or sentiment. It has its...
process.
The Assembly is facilitated by a moderator that is weekly rotated. Other roles that are weekly rotated are minute-takers, time-keepers, photo documenters and info person. Every member of the Assembly is free to express an opinion or propose an idea to be discussed and voted upon during Assembly.
Topics & Discussions
The Assembly usually begins by accepting topic proposals from members for discussion or debate. Topics that are voted and passed by everyone will set the agenda for an Assembly. Members take turns to speak by raising their hands and getting speaking approval from the moderator. If the discussion for a topic exceeds the allotted 20 minutes, the Assembly would then decide whether the topic should be extended for another 10 minutes or moved to a working group. Everyone is invited to join the working group which will meet outside of the Assembly period. The findings from the working group will be presented at the next Assembly to be debated. They avoid using delegates or representatives to make decisions for the Assembly. The final decision rests with the Assembly. The allotted 20 minutes per topic allows participants to discuss, debate and come up with proposals to be voted on.Voting
The Assembly makes decisions through consensus to ensure that all opinions, ideas and concerns are taken into account before committing to a collective decision that work for everyone. Voting is done through the show of hand signals. Currently, a proposal is passed when there are no blocks from the Assembly during voting. Members who block a proposal are required to provide a justification.Hand Signals
Hand signals are used to express opinions during discussion and to vote. This silent expression is used to avoid shouting and disrupting a speaker.Decisions
After the Assembly comes to a collective decision, decisions are either implemented immediately, moved to a working group for further discussion and planning, or shelved. These options address the different levels of complexities to implement a decision. Its complexity usually depend on the topic discussed and type of decisions made. Procedural decisions, for example, can be implemented immediately. More complex decisions was like when members discussed about the 11th Forbes Global CEO Conference hosted in Shangri-La, Kuala Lumpur. A proposal to form an action to demonstrate and educate the people about the growing disparity of wealth and privatization of public interest was voted and passed. This decision was moved to a working group for further planning and implementation. The action was carried out from Sept 12 - Sept 16, 2011. They included the "I love Capitalism Film Week" and the Shangri-La street installation and theatrical protest. Members are encouraged to come up with clear and specific proposals during discussion.Revising Procedures, Processes or Ground Rules
Members of an Assembly can propose to revise the practiced procedures, processes and ground rules. This proposal can be raised 10 minutes before the Assembly ends. However, this proposal can only be discussed and voted on during the next Assembly.Other Activities
Besides the KL People's Assembly, Occupy Dataran is also an open platform for people to run activities or hang out. Activities usually commence after the Assembly has ended. Previous activities include workshops, games, potluck picnics, music performances, poetry reading and more.15 October Assembly
As part of the 15 October 2011 global protests15 October 2011 global protests
The 15 October 2011 global protests were part of a series of protests inspired by the Arab Spring, the Spanish "Indignants", the Greek Protests and the Occupy movement. Global demonstrations were held on October 15 in more than 950 cities 82 countries. The date was chosen to coincide with the 5...
, Occupy Dataran held a 12-hour program at Dataran Merdeka on the same day starting from 4:00pm. . Over 200 people attended 15 October's Occupy Dataran, the largest since it started.
The following morning, The Malaysian Insider reported that Occupy Dataran is an offshoot of Occupy Wall Street
Occupy Wall Street
Occupy Wall Street is an ongoing series of demonstrations initiated by the Canadian activist group Adbusters which began September 17, 2011 in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Wall Street financial district...
. However, the first Occupy Dataran assembly was held on 30 July 2011, one and a half months before the first Occupy Wall Street assembly
Timeline of Occupy Wall Street
The following is a timeline of Occupy Wall Street which began on Saturday, September 17, 2011 as an occupation of Wall Street, the financial district of New York City and is an ongoing demonstration....
.
See also
Occupy articles- List of global Occupy movement protest locations
- "Occupy" protests
- Timeline of Occupy Wall StreetTimeline of Occupy Wall StreetThe following is a timeline of Occupy Wall Street which began on Saturday, September 17, 2011 as an occupation of Wall Street, the financial district of New York City and is an ongoing demonstration....
- We are the 99%
Related articles
- 15 October 2011 global protests15 October 2011 global protestsThe 15 October 2011 global protests were part of a series of protests inspired by the Arab Spring, the Spanish "Indignants", the Greek Protests and the Occupy movement. Global demonstrations were held on October 15 in more than 950 cities 82 countries. The date was chosen to coincide with the 5...
- 2011 Spanish protests2011 Spanish protestsThe 2011 Spanish protests, also referred to as the 15-M Movement and the Indignants movement, are a series of ongoing demonstrations in Spain whose origin can be traced to social networks and Real Democracy NOW among other civilian digital platforms and 200 other small associations...
- Consensus decision-makingConsensus decision-makingConsensus decision-making is a group decision making process that seeks the consent, not necessarily the agreement, of participants and the resolution of objections. Consensus is defined by Merriam-Webster as, first, general agreement, and second, group solidarity of belief or sentiment. It has its...
- Direct democracyDirect democracyDirect democracy is a form of government in which people vote on policy initiatives directly, as opposed to a representative democracy in which people vote for representatives who then vote on policy initiatives. Direct democracy is classically termed "pure democracy"...
- Participatory democracyParticipatory democracyParticipatory Democracy, also known as Deliberative Democracy, Direct Democracy and Real Democracy , is a process where political decisions are made directly by regular people...
- Popular AssemblyPopular AssemblyThe Popular Assembly is a socialist electoral coalition in Uruguay.The party was founded in April 2006, as a more left-wing alternative to the Broad Front. It is supported by the Revolutionary Communist Party of Uruguay, the Humanist Party of Uruguay and other left-wing groups, including several...