‘Dirty victory’ for BN

Analysts say the change of venues for the Bersih rally reduces its effectiveness.

KUALA LUMPUR: Some analysts say the change of venue for the Bersih rally diminishes its effectiveness and signals a victory for the Najib administration.
“It won’t have the same kind of impact,” said political analyst Ong Kian Ming.

He described the venue change – from the streets to the stadium – as a “strategic win” for Barisan Nasional (BN).

Universiti Malaya’s Azmi Sharom agreed that it was a win for the ruling coalition, but he called it a “dirty victory”.

“Ultimately the losers are Bersih,” he said. “The whole idea was to take a belief, an expression, to the streets.”

The Bersih supporters had intended to take to the streets on July 9 to call for reform in the electoral process. The event was called a “Walk for Democracy”.

Azmi accused Umno Youth, Perkasa and the police of instilling fear in Bersih supporters. He referred to the three groups as “subcontractors of the ruling party”.

Another analyst, James Chin, said Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak had handled the issue cleverly.
He said: “After the King intervened, Bersih had no choice. Why? Because the bulk of supporters will be Malays and they can’t be seen to be disloyal to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

“Bersih supporters might even see this as Ambiga backing down.” S Ambiga chairs the Bersih 2.0 steering committee.

The analysts criticised Pakatan Rakyat for getting too involved with Bersih. They said Pakatan diluted the movement’s non-partisan nature.

“It is Pakatan that should follow Bersih’s lead, not the other way around,” said Azmi.

Analyst Koo Kay Peng accused Pakatan of trying to “hijack” the march to use as a platform for energising the coalition as it prepares for the coming general election.