KOTA KINABALU: The heat over the Bersih 2.0 rally has been rising over the past few days, but the DAP wants the people to reduce the temperature and strive for cooperation.
However, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang urged the people to moderate their response to the crackdown on the rally but not to back down from demanding a clean-up of the electoral system.
He urged the organisers and supporters of the rally and the police to lower their combative stance on July 9 and to strive for cooperation to turn the event into a successful and peaceful assembly for clean and fair elections.
“All parties concerned should try to reduce the temperature which has been raised in the past weeks with all these overreactions by the Barisan Nasional, the police and the Election Commission (EC).
“All parties should cooperate to make the Bersih rally peaceful and successful because this would be good for the reputation of Malaysia,” he told reporters here yesterday.
He said the recent arrests of Bersih supporters who were wearing the yellow T-shirts were unjust, adding that police were trying to suppress the march instead of ensuring a peaceful protest through crowd and traffic control.
“I’m shocked that the prime minister is talking about the possibility of Emergency. Why should there be talks of ISA and Emergency proclamation where this is a peaceful and orderly protest, which is very common in developed democracies?
“Bersih has become a dirty word. It is supposed to mean clean, but it has become a dirty word and this has made Malaysia a laughing stock in the eyes of world,” Lim said.
He added that it should be acknowledged that there were many failures in the current electoral process such as the management of postal votes, faulty electoral rolls as well as malpractices and corruption.
“In the recent Sarawak election, the Barisan Nasional (BN) spent RM500 million, which is totally an abuse of the election expense limit under the law.
“It is estimated that for the 13th general election, BN will need RM4 billion to RM5 billion… this is money politics at its most monstrous form because firstly, victories based on such gargantuan financial outlays are definitely not clean.
“Secondly, those who have contributed to the BN election war chest would expect returns and that is the root of corruption in Malaysia, which is now so deep and entrenched that it has become notorious worldwide,” he said.
Manipulating press freedom
Lim also condemned the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) for issuing instructions to private and public radio and television stations to “demonise” the Bersih rally.
Based on a report in news portal, Malaysiakini, an editor said he was “implicitly advised by the MCMC to refer to the Bersih rally as an illegal gathering” in order to discourage public participation in the rally.
Lim said this was a manipulation of the freedom of press that would only confirm that the whole system of governance as “rotten and unfair”.
“It is no business of the MCMC or even the government to interfere with the freedom of the press, to direct private radio and television stations to slant their reporting in such a way to demonise, to present Bersih like a devil, when it should be given fair coverage.
“The prime minister says that BN only wins clean victories and if he is sincere enough, he should give support to the holding of the Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9 in Kuala Lumpur for free and fair elections.
“No one can claim that the Malaysian electoral laws are free, fair and clean, except BN leaders and that is why the Bersih 2.0 campaign has received such enormous support among Malaysian groups and individuals,” he added.
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