Ambiga: Our rally will be peaceful

Bersih organisers want the police to work with them in making the July 9 rally a peaceful one.

KUALA LUMPUR: Bersih 2.0 chairman Ambiga Sreenevasan is looking at a win-win situation.

She will be writing to the Kuala Lumpur police chief on how they can work together in making the July 9 rally a peaceful one.

“We understand their job and at the same time we would like to explain to them why we are holding the rally,” Ambiga told FMT.

She said the organisers of the rally strongly believe that it can be conducted in very peaceful and responsible manner.

“If there are any problems on that day (July 9), it will not be because of us and we will ensure to the best of our ability to have a peaceful rally,” added Ambiga.

Asked on the Perkasa’s intention to hold their rally at the city centre on the same day, Ambiga who was the former Bar Council president, welcomed Perkasa leaders and its members to join the Bersih rally which is calling for a free and clean election.

“They are most welcome, provided they walk along with us peacefully,” said Ambiga.
On Tuesday, Perkasa and 30 Malay-based NGOs announced their plans to organise a similar rally to oppose the Bersih rally.

Bersih 2.0 is a coalition of 62 NGOs which have been promoting democracy and free and fair elections in Malaysia.

Ambiga said in her letter to the police next week, she will persuade them on how both parties can work together to make the rally a peaceful one.

In related development, Bersih 2.0 will be holding a talk at the KL Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall here on Sunday night to explain the objectives of the rally.

On July 9, Bersih 2.have invited all organisations including political parties from both sides of divide to join them in their call for electoral reform.

Umno Youth to hold rally too

The planned rally has been objected by the police who had said that action will be taken against those participating in the illegal assembly. Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein too had warned the public against taking part in both the Bersih and Perkasa rallies.

Yesterday, the Umno Youth movement also decided to hold a gathering and procession on July 9. The movement plans to hand over a memorandum to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to support the democracy system and the role and reforms carried out by the Election Commission (EC).

Its head, Khairy Jamaluddin said among the matters to be highlighted in the memorandum was the issue on the transfer of voters carried out by the opposition in preparation for the next general election.

Besides proposing several matters, the gathering also aimed to prove that the people’s voice was not only monopolised by the opposition particularly PAS, the DAP and PKR, Khairy said.

Khairy said the gathering was not to clash with any group, but would instead show the spirit of the young generation in Umno to defend the existing system as well as to cooperate with the EC to improve the existing system.