‘Meeting king doesn’t make rally legal’

Despite Ambiga’s meeting with the Agong, the home minister stands firm on the Bersih ban

PUTRAJAYA: Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said today that the July 9 Bersih rally is still illegal despite a compromise reached to hold it in a stadium rather than on the streets.

“Just because Tuanku (Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Abidin) met them (Bersih organisers) doesn’t mean the rally is no longer illegal,” he told a press conference here.

Hishammuddin said that the organisers did not have to apply for a police permit under the Bersih banner as there were other avenues to do so.

Bersih, a coalition of 62 NGOs, was declared illegal by the Registrar of Societies based on the Attorney-General’s advice.

“We are all governed by the laws of the land,” said Hishammuddin, adding that Bersih should apply for a permit as soon as possible so it could be processed swiftly.

He also said that Bersih chairman S Ambiga had agreed to move the rally from the streets to the stadium before she met the King, as one of the conditions of the meeting.

“Nobody can just walk into the palace,” Hishammuddin said.

‘Rally will go on’

When asked about the situation of those arrested, he said it was for the law to decide, and that his main concern was the safety of the majority of the people.

“Bersih can have an assembly and meet, shout and scream as long as other people are not affected.
“This is an avenue for them to voice their concerns in a safe and orderly manner. They will be responsible if anything untoward happens,” said Hishammuddin.

Calling the compromise “a move forward”, he promised that if Bersih received a permit, the authorities would not stop the gathering.

Bersih agreed yesterday to move its street protest calling for clean and fair elections into a stadium, preferably the 50,000-seater Stadium Merdeka.

However, Ambiga clarified that these demands would be an ongoing process but the “rally on July 9 will go on no matter what”.

The police have also arrested more than 100 people in connection with the rally, mostly for wearing yellow Bersih T-shirts.

The King intervened on Sunday and advised the government and Bersih to negotiate the issue of free and fair elections.