Bersih 2.0 never had a political undertone. The first march in 2007 was a gathering of 50,000 like-minded people who were yearning for a change in the way the election process was conducted. They were concerned citizens, voicing their reservations at irregularities clearly allowed for by the Election Commission. This was a stand for fair and free elections, to make sure that every vote was accounted for and not merely used to further the political ambitions of a few.
Bersih 1.0 was a success, in that it gave everyday Malaysians a platform from which to take part in nation building.
The second installation of Bersih this July 9 will gather even more like minded people with various NGOs and political parties already committing numbers to the march. The opposition has taken to heart this march, encouraging their members to be part of history whilst the BN federal government has been quick to condemn and demonise the march.
It was the BN government and their supporters especially Perkasa who slapped on Bersih their political undertones even to the extent of painting the Bersih's Walk for Democracy a move to topple the government. Ibrahim Ali added a racist tune to the whole matter by telling the Chinese to stay home and stock up on food, or risk a reprisal of the ethnic cleansing that took place on May 13, 1969.
Both Prime Minister Najib Razak and his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin have called the Bersih march a threat to national security but they remained silent on the other two rallies - Perkasa's and UMNO Youth's. Both are marching on the same day but not together with Bersih, and Perkasa has already made known its intention to stop Bersih.
What a mockery then for the PM and DPM to paint a civil movement a security threat while they ignore two other politically-motivated bodies planning counter-marches to the Bersih's.
Good thing Big Bird is not in town
Meanwhile, police are already arresting anyone who happens to be wearing a yellow shirt (good thing Big Bird is not in town or it would have been nabbed too!). Police roadblocks are already in place to check the movements of Bersih symphatizers on their way to roadshows across the nation. Yes, the police are busy rounding up Bersih marchers while thieves, rapists and acid throwers are still at large in the country.
Pro-UMNO NGOs and even people affliated with MATTA have come out to issue statements that the Bersih march would be bad for business and scare away tourists from visiting our fair country. A day’s march does more damage than RM1.8 million spent on setting up 6 Facebook pages by the Tourism Ministry? A day’s march does more damage to business in Kuala Lumpur than spending billions on submarines that have trouble diving?
With all that going against it, none of the Bersih detractors are really saying anything about the real reasons for the march. No-one is commenting on the 8 points Bersih is marching for. Not one of the critics, whether it is UMNO, Perkasa, Najib, Muhyiddin, Ibrahim Ali or Khairy Jamaluddin have brought to the table what they dislike about any of these 8 points that Bersih is handing over in the form of a memorandum to the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong come July 9th.
And this is why Bersih is important. It is a march to uphold civil liberties. A march initiated by the people, organised by the people and participated by everyday Malaysians. It is a march by Malaysians to ensure a better and more matured election process.
It is only logical that when a system is broken, the system needs to be fixed. The people of Malaysia know the whole election process, the system is broken and it needs to be fixed. So what is wrong for like-minded people to march and present their ideas?
Too many ignored and broken promises
If the Election Commission counters and says that it has provided avenues for Bersih to hold dialogue in a closed setting, then the question to ask is - this has been done before, the dialogue over long ago and yet, what changes have we seen?
Case in hand - Point 3 of Bersih's 8 demands: The use of indelible ink. This suggestion was brought forward to the EC in March 2007. It is now 2011, and the EC has the gall to say the use of indelible ink requires a change to the Federal Constitution! Since when did putting ink on someone's finger require amendments to the Federal Consitution?
And even if there is a grain of truth to this, then amend the Constitution - the parliamentarians should debate this and vote on it and decide once and for all the necessity for the use of indelible ink. The thing is, will such a motion be allowed to get past the Speaker of the Parliament. Now, you know why citizens must come out to the streets and gather peacefully on July 9. BN lawmakers do not respect their wishes.
How hard is really to listen to the people and make their wishes a reality? For the duration that the UMNO-BN government has held two thirds majority in Parliament, the Federal Constitution has seen no less than 650 amendments. How much harm can one more amendment have when the current Federal Constitution is a shadow of its original, due to the devices of the UMNO-BN government.
Malaysians must reclaim their own rights
The Bersih march is not partisan, nor does it have a political agenda. No doubt, it is supported by the Pakatan Rakyat who have much to gain from a cleanup of the system. But if Pakatan opposed and refused to send their members, Bersih would still go on. Ambiga would still chair the committeee and exhort Malaysians to stand for their rights.
Malaysians must understand and not listen to either BN or even Pakatan. The quality of their lives is in their own hands. And until they realise this and reclaim their rights, no one can help them - they are at the mercy of the BN. But this country is their country, they are the boss and BN, Pakatan and all the others are merely elected flunkeys.
It is the people who get to choose who they want to represent them and not be forced to accept whoever is selected for them. And this is why they must turn up on July 9 and once and for all, force out that piece of dirt suffocating the entire country and their lives.
Bersih is a march that lives within the spirit of civil liberties. It allows the common citizen to come together and voice their views. It allows Malaysians to stand as one for a noble cause and for this Malaysians should not be afraid of their government.
'People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.'
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