Heavy police presence failed to thwart pro-Bersih rally

Heavy police presence fails to thwart pro-Bersih rally at PAS state headquarters in Kepala Batas last night.

By Athi Sankar,

KEPALA BATAS: Despite heavy police presence, a Pakatan Rakyat’s pro-Bersih rally went on without a hitch the at PAS state headquarters in Pongsu Seribu, Kepala Batas last night.

About 200 police personnel, including a small Light Strike Force unit, arrived in trucks, jeeps and other vehicles soon after the rally began at 10am.

Many youths among the 2,000 crowd, quickly shut down the entrance gates to the venue and formed a human shield to block any attempts by the law enforcers to barge through.

Seeing the determined crowd, police personnel did not take any drastic action and merely lined up and stood guard outside and the rally went on without any incident for two hours.

Last night’s rally, which was held without a permit, was to substitute a banned rally scheduled to be held in Seberang Jaya expo site.

The police obtained a court on Tuesday to stop two state-sponsored Bersih rallies in Seberang Jaya and Sungai Nibong.

Former state exco Toh Kin Woon, Bukit Tengah assemblyman Ong Chin Wen, state PAS youth wing Mohd Yusin Mat Piah and PKR Batu Kawan division information chief Amizudin Ahmat spoke out in support of the planned Bersih rally in Kuala Lumpur on July 9.

July 9 will happen

Mohd Yusin said that even the Malaysian football squad had not donned the traditional yellow home colours in pre-World Cup Asian qualifier against Taiwan on Wednesday.

“It’s a shame that the government is so determined to stop a peaceful rally which is meant for free and fair elections, which will only benefit the country.

“But the government instead now being hit by the yellow fever … the yellow phobia,” he said, adding that the government machinery has been fully mobilised to halt the July 9 rally.

However, he said the rally will go ahead as scheduled despite threats of detention and court charges by the executives.

Ong said that the police’s recent action of arresting Bersih activists and seizing yellow coloured items was clearly an intimidation tactic by Umno to instill fear among the people.

Mohd Yusin accused the Barisan Nasional government of employing fear tactics to scare Malaysians from taking part in the rally.

“It exposes the government’s fear and vulnerability to people’s power,” he said to rousing applause.
Toh chided the government for executing underhand tactics to foil a peaceful rally. “Such undemocratic means should be opposed by all,” he said.

Amizuddin, who blogs under the ‘Sharpshooter’ handle, said Umno was worried that the Bersih rally, if it went ahead would trigger another politicall tsunami like in 2008.