All peaceful gatherings cannot be illegal. That is according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 20 which endorses the right to freedom of assembly and association. Naturally the government of Malaysia doesn’t recognise this fundamental human right.
Freedom of speech, the right to assemble, the Malaysian government will have none of it, unless the gathering involves the ruling political parties themselves. Moreover the spineless way in which the government hides behind the unjust laws such as Section 27 of the Police Act erodes the government’s credibility. Absurdly, police permits are required for more than 5 people to gather.
The first Bersih rally in 2007 demanding electoral reforms was attributed as the main cause for BN’s loss of 2/3s majority and the loss of four states. Fearful of the similar repercussions of another Bersih rally in 2011, Najib pulled out all the stops to wreck the Bersih machinery. This time he would deploy more FRU enforcements, water cannons and tear gas and nauseating propaganda. What happened to the ‘Days of Government Knows Best are over’?
If Malaysia were to follow international standards, Bersih would have been permitted. It’s a planned peaceful demonstration but the size of the turnout warrants police and FRU presence. If and only if things get violent, then the police can order the crowds to disperse and use water cannons, tear gas and so forth.
On the other hand, what had transpired seemed to come straight out of Chapter One of the ‘Authoritarian Regime for Dummies’. The organisers were branded as criminals because Bersih was not a registered organisation. I have to agree that Pakatan Rakyat was the real driving force, but that is a poor excuse.
The official statement is that Bersih is not championing free and fair elections but actually a political rally. You know: So what?! If the slogan of the rally was ‘Vote Pakatan!’ they should be allowed to especially if it was peaceful (and even if it’s outside the campaigning period).
They disparaged the Bersih raison d’etre, saying that the demands were silly as the elections were always fair, how else did they lose 2/3s majority and 4 states (repeat 10 times if you want to lose your lunch). Does that mean in a fair election the opposition can never win the majority number of seats? Much like repressive regimes in China and in the Arab world, the Malaysian government seeks to quell any dissension against its rule.
On July 9th the rally took place despite a lockdown of all proposed meeting points. Unlike the first rally, the protesters did not get their ‘Tahrir Square’. Five separate groups of protesters tried marching criss-cross around KL trying to reach the impenetrable Stadium Merdeka. The scene is much like a Pac-man game; protesters were evading and sometimes confronting the police force. The leaders Ambiga, Anwar and Hadi Awang were arrested only within 40 minutes of their departure from KL Sentral.
Foreign reports and Youtube videos clearly showed excessive force by police forces on protesters, but these were met with utter denial by Najib and his gang. On the day after, Najib mocked Anwar and the Bersih 2.0 rally in a way most unbecoming of a prime minister.
So who won? Najib or Anwar? I guess the 13th General Elections are the ultimate report card however manipulated it may be. I think the rakyat may be willing to sacrifice all the economic progress that Najib enticed us with in exchange for these simple liberties.
I’m not a supporter of the opposition or the government and I don’t like to join rallies. (I'm a supporter of the rakyat) But I do respect the fact that some people feel so strongly about their need to take to the streets and exercise their civil rights. My fingers are crossed for that one day when we will get to enjoy those fundamental rights and freedoms that so many countries are blessed with.
You are a human being. You have rights inherent in that reality. You have dignity and worth that exists prior to law.
Lyn Beth Neylon
Freedom of speech, the right to assemble, the Malaysian government will have none of it, unless the gathering involves the ruling political parties themselves. Moreover the spineless way in which the government hides behind the unjust laws such as Section 27 of the Police Act erodes the government’s credibility. Absurdly, police permits are required for more than 5 people to gather.
The first Bersih rally in 2007 demanding electoral reforms was attributed as the main cause for BN’s loss of 2/3s majority and the loss of four states. Fearful of the similar repercussions of another Bersih rally in 2011, Najib pulled out all the stops to wreck the Bersih machinery. This time he would deploy more FRU enforcements, water cannons and tear gas and nauseating propaganda. What happened to the ‘Days of Government Knows Best are over’?
If Malaysia were to follow international standards, Bersih would have been permitted. It’s a planned peaceful demonstration but the size of the turnout warrants police and FRU presence. If and only if things get violent, then the police can order the crowds to disperse and use water cannons, tear gas and so forth.
On the other hand, what had transpired seemed to come straight out of Chapter One of the ‘Authoritarian Regime for Dummies’. The organisers were branded as criminals because Bersih was not a registered organisation. I have to agree that Pakatan Rakyat was the real driving force, but that is a poor excuse.
The official statement is that Bersih is not championing free and fair elections but actually a political rally. You know: So what?! If the slogan of the rally was ‘Vote Pakatan!’ they should be allowed to especially if it was peaceful (and even if it’s outside the campaigning period).
They disparaged the Bersih raison d’etre, saying that the demands were silly as the elections were always fair, how else did they lose 2/3s majority and 4 states (repeat 10 times if you want to lose your lunch). Does that mean in a fair election the opposition can never win the majority number of seats? Much like repressive regimes in China and in the Arab world, the Malaysian government seeks to quell any dissension against its rule.
On July 9th the rally took place despite a lockdown of all proposed meeting points. Unlike the first rally, the protesters did not get their ‘Tahrir Square’. Five separate groups of protesters tried marching criss-cross around KL trying to reach the impenetrable Stadium Merdeka. The scene is much like a Pac-man game; protesters were evading and sometimes confronting the police force. The leaders Ambiga, Anwar and Hadi Awang were arrested only within 40 minutes of their departure from KL Sentral.
Foreign reports and Youtube videos clearly showed excessive force by police forces on protesters, but these were met with utter denial by Najib and his gang. On the day after, Najib mocked Anwar and the Bersih 2.0 rally in a way most unbecoming of a prime minister.
So who won? Najib or Anwar? I guess the 13th General Elections are the ultimate report card however manipulated it may be. I think the rakyat may be willing to sacrifice all the economic progress that Najib enticed us with in exchange for these simple liberties.
I’m not a supporter of the opposition or the government and I don’t like to join rallies. (I'm a supporter of the rakyat) But I do respect the fact that some people feel so strongly about their need to take to the streets and exercise their civil rights. My fingers are crossed for that one day when we will get to enjoy those fundamental rights and freedoms that so many countries are blessed with.
You are a human being. You have rights inherent in that reality. You have dignity and worth that exists prior to law.
Lyn Beth Neylon
No comments:
Post a Comment