KUALA LUMPUR, July 8 — Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein’s “irrational fear” was exposed when the police obtained court orders banning 91 persons associated with Bersih, Umno Youth and Perkasa from entering Kuala Lumpur this Saturday, said Lim Guan Eng today.
The Penang chief minister pointed out that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong had ratified tomorrow’s Bersih rally by granting an audience to Bersih 2.0 chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan.
“It is a tragic day in Malaysia when grown men like Home Minister Hishammuddin have succumbed to a bewildering fear of the light. Or are the police and Hishammuddin still children who are afraid of the dark and not yet grown men?” he asked.
Among those restricted under court orders are Ambiga, Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali, Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and Bersih steering committee member Maria Chin Abdullah.
Other notable persons barred from the city are Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim; his daughter and PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar; DAP leaders Lim Kit Siang and Teresa Kok; Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali; independent MP for Kulim-Bandar Baharu Datuk Zulkifli Noordin; Jemaah Islah Malaysia president Zaid Kamaruddin; PAS president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang, PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu and Kelantan Mentri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.
The individuals named in the orders include 66 from Bersih, 14 from Perkasa and 11 from Umno Youth.
City police chief Datuk Amar Singh warned yesterday that the persons named in the court orders can be arrested on sight.
Lim Guan Eng said violent demonstrations should be avoided, but stressed that Bersih had always intended to hold a peaceful rally.
“There is absolutely no element of violence, despite the painstaking efforts by the police and the government to portray it that way,” said the DAP secretary-general.
Perak police reportedly said today that they found 21 home-made petrol bombs and eight T-shirts with the word “Kotor” (dirty) on them in Sitiawan last night, which they linked to the Bersih rally.
On July 5, police found three weapon caches near the Sogo shopping complex here which they said appeared to be “a preparatory move” by Bersih supporters ahead of tomorrow’s gathering.
The police are closing all major roads in and out of the city tomorrow to head off the three planned rallies by Bersih, Perkasa and Umno Youth.
Putrajaya has also frozen temporary bus permits for travel across the peninsula to Kuala Lumpur.
A government clampdown over the past week that led to the arrest of hundreds of Bersih supporters has only resulted in defiance from the electoral reform movement and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders, who have strongly backed the march as it seeks to build momentum ahead of a general election expected within the year.
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