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Thursday, 7 July 2011

Bersih insists on holding rally at Stadium Merdeka

The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: The organisers of the Bersih 2.0 rally have maintained that they want Stadium Merdeka as the venue for their event on Saturday despite the stadium management rejecting their application. They said they would not be swayed from their decision to gather there peacefully.

Bersih steering committee chairman Datuk S. Ambiga said they had yet to obtain a permit to use the venue.

She added that the rally would be held from 2pm to 4pm.

“We have chosen the stadium for its convenient location. There will be no rallies outside the stadium,” she told a press conference yesterday.

Ambiga also said about 10 Bersih steering committee members would proceed to Istana Negara after the rally to hand over a memorandum to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin.

She added that the group also hoped to meet Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak soon.

The group said it would deploy 5,000 marshals to assist in security matters during the rally. It also wanted the authorities to allow the people to don yellow-coloured attire without fear of arrest.

Pakatan Rakyat parties said they would not go to the streets on Saturday.

PKR vice-president Tian Chua said the party supported the decision to hold the rally in a stadium.

PAS secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali said the party would not march in the streets to avoid possible confrontation.

Meanwhile, Perkasa which is going ahead with its proposed rally is planning to have an audience with the King while Umno Youth and Kelab Putra 1Malaysia had decided to cancel their planned Patriot Rally as a mark of respect to the King who said street demonstrations will bring more bad than good.

In a related development, the National Council of Justices of Peace Malaysia said it did not endorse its secretary-general’s involvement in a recent press conference with Ambiga.

The council’s president, Datuk Seri Clarence Malakun, said Datuk M. Ramalingam’s involvement and presence at the press conference was strictly in his own capacity.

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