Bersih 2.0 is gathering momentum, both here in Malaysia and in overseas. This movement for clean and fair elections has once again, caught the attention of many Malaysians, including the authorities, triggering mass arrests of over 100 people two weeks prior to the rally.
Without digressing into why the Federal Government and the authorities are on a nationwide manhunt to deny its citizens clean and fair elections, perhaps it is more prudent for Malaysians, especially the fence sitters, to understand why we need "clean and fair elections".
Klik4Malaysia (K4M) spoke to Andrew Khoo, who is one of the 14 steering committee members of Bersih 2.0, to find out what they are trying to change exactly.
"The people are united with a hunger for electoral change, and this is why Bersih 2.0 is gathering so much momentum, that it has spread from our shores to Malaysians who are in Taiwan, Australia, Japan, England and the USA. One of the eight goals for Bersih 2.0 is the integrity of public institutions, and the people want good and clean governance and transparent administration," Khoo said.
"We were very encouraged when the Malaysians overseas had taken the initiative to contact us, saying that they wish to organize their own walk because they also share the same concerns of Malaysians who are still in the country," he added.
It is a known fact that most Malaysians who are working overseas find it very difficult to cast their vote during elections, and they had been clamouring for the postal voting system to be extended to them. Currently, only the police force, armed forces and RELA are allowed to vote via post.
"In this digital age, Malaysian expatriates no longer feel disconnected due to the abundance of websites like news portals, blogs, Twitter and Facebook, where they can get all the latest updates of their home country. High profile cases like A. Kugan, Teoh Beng Hock and Aminulrashyid are all over the Internet and people are more aware of what is happening and it is easier for them to participate in any movements for positive change," Khoo explained.
"The combination of all these injustice against people and also against elected representatives has created multiple ripples that has become a huge wave of change sweeping across the country. We saw this during the last Bersih rally in November 2007 and we will see this again on July 9," he added.
The (lack of) integrity of our public institutions
"Almost every Malaysian would have their own story to tell about their experience with the police force, be it corruption or abuse of power or violence. The rot has set in so deep that it has become a systemic problem because there are not enough checks and balances in place. This is why it is imperative that the government setup the IPCMC (Independent Police Complaints And Misconduct Commission) but they have been dragging their feet since the Dzaiddin Royal Police Commission was released in May 2005.
"So many people had died in police custody and we still don't have an effective complaints mechanism in place. There is a sense of deep frustration but the government doesn't seem to see it from the perspective of the citizens. It is as if the government is just humouring the people by setting up the EAIC," Khoo said.
The police force has been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, and the new Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Ismail Omar did little to set things right with the public as the number of indiscriminate police shootings of innocent civilians had increased.
Moving on to the next institution, the immigration department, Khoo shared his view that there is still an imbalance in the way services were being rendered.
"Highly-paid expatriates and investors are always given the priority while the lower-paid foreign workers were often mistreated and denied basic civil rights, health and medical benefits. There is a stark contrast in how these two groups of foreigners are being treated and this should not happen at all," he said.
"Even the Customs Department and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) needs a complete revamp as corruption, abuse of power and lack of transparency is still very rampant. We read about many cases of widespread corruption and yet the culprits gets-off scott free as their cases are often thrown out of court due to insufficient evidence," said Khoo.
"Finally, our education system is also in need of a complete revamp as the present system is very parochial where we churn out tens of thousands of narrow-minded individuals who cannot think outside the box," he added.
"The last thing we want to do is to limit the next generation's creativity and critical thinking, which is a very important ingredient for any nation to progress. The government has this fear of 'change agents' whereby they had enacted the University and Colleges Act (1971) to ban students from dabbling in politics.
"Ironically, most of the nation's leaders today were once students when the Act was enacted. In fact, they were the reason the Act was enacted in the first place! They too, had hungered for change before the government of that time banned student participation. Now that they are in power today, they rely on such draconian acts to stay in power.
"Bersih is a movement aimed at removing all these hurdles and stumbling blocks towards a better and just Malaysia through electoral reforms. We hope that more Malaysians would rise up and join us in this push for positive change that would benefit them and their children in the years to come," said Khoo.
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