The movement will adhere to the King's advice for consultation among all parties and will call off their rally if the ruler tells them to do so.
Bersih chairman S Ambiga said she will try and seek an audience with the King before the planned rally this Saturday to communicate their concerns before announcing their next move.
The former Bar Council president said the decision was reached after an emergency meeting with Bersih representatives last night.
A letter has already been sent to the palace this morning, she revealed.
She also revealed that she had met with former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi earlier today and said the latter had wanted to help her resolve the impasse and had advised the same.
“Bersih 2.0 offers its deep appreciation to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong for his support on the people’s aspiration to reform the election system.
“Bersih 2.0 will abide by his majesty’s advice to hold a dialogue towards achieving a consensus on electoral reform and the development of democracy in Malaysia,” she told a press conference here.
In an unexpected and rare move, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin issued an edict last night in an apparent bid to defuse the tension, advising the government to hold consultations with Bersih 2.0 on the issue of free and fair elections.
“I urge that amid the political fervour of a section of the people to bolster democracy in our country, it must also be ensured that this demand on democracy does not bring destruction to the country,” the King said in a statement yesterday.
The King also said that street demonstrations were not part of Malaysian political culture, saying that the people “cannot be following too much the practices in other countries, as harmony and stability are vital foundations for a country and which all quarters must protect”.
Pointing this out to Ambiga, reporters asked if this means Bersih would respect the King’s advice not to hold the rally, to which she answered: “Yes”.
Appalled by injustices
Bersih 2.0 and its Pakatan Rakyat backers could find itself in an unfavourable position as insisting to carry on with the rally can easily be seen as a direct affront to the palace.
More than 150 people have been detained so far, mostly for wearing yellow T- shirts with the word “Bersih” written on them, in connection to the planned rally.
Opposition leaders, some of whom have been hauled up for questioning for backing Bersih’s call for a rally to demand electoral reform, say the mass arrests is one of the harshest crackdowns in the country’s political history but they believe the arrests will only help strengthen support towards the opposition.
Some have been charged and accused of attempting to revive communism and for “waging a war against the King” and are detained under the Emergency Ordinance (EO) which allows for detention without trial.
Bersih organisers and opposition leaders denied the allegation and call the accusation baseless. They say their demands are merely for free and fair elections.
Commenting on this, Ambiga said she was appalled by the “injustices” done on Bersih activists and called for the unconditional and immediate release of those detained.
In another development, Malay rightwing group Perkasa and Umno Youth said today that they will call off their respective anti-Bersih rallies if Bersih cancels theirs.
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