By Hazlan Zakaria | Jun 30, 11
Malaysiakini
Pakatan Rakyat MPs turned up in Parliament decked out in various articles in the distinctive yellow of Bersih to protest the police clampdown on the electoral reform rally.
Most of the men sported ties in the ‘official’ Bersih 2.0 colour or others in shades of yellow, while the women were attired in yellow.
The rest wore various articles of clothing in the same colour, while those more daring like Bukit Gantang parliamentarian Nizar Jamaluddin and Bakri MP Er Teck Hwa (right) donned the official Bersih 2.0 T-shirt, which has caused the arrest of many since the crackdown began, in open defiance.
At a press conference in the parliament lobby today, the MPs stood in solidarity with Bersih and the rakyat’s wishes for free and fair elections, condemning the unilateral and as some argued, illegal and unconstitutional crackdown on the hugely popular rally.
“It is outrageous, we have a home minister who is making up the law on the run,” said DAP Ipoh Timor MP Lim Kit Siang (in dark glasses), commenting on the recent outlawing of the distinctive yellow Bersih 2.0 T-shirts and other supporting paraphernalia by police and the ministry.
PAS’ Hatta Ramli called the police crackdown on the Bersih rally as an act of intimidation.
While Tian Chua from PKR reiterated the claim that the actions taken by law enforcement officers against Bersih activists is outside the bounds of the law.
His view is supporterd by Subang MP R Sivarasa, who pointed out that even in the “draconian” law that is the Internal Security Act, collaterals and paraphernalia can only be “proscribed” by authorities if it is gazetted first.
Sivarasa contested that no such gazetting ever took place prior to the authorities sudden ban on Bersih 2.0 materials.
In a statement to the media afterwards, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok explained that the specific provisions in the ISA that allow for the government to proscribe paraphernalia is Section 7(2)(1) for the prohibitions of uniforms, emblems and others.
“Hishammuddin’s declaration is illegal, unreasonable, arbitrary and smacks of abuse of power,” she added.
Also at the press conference, DAP Jelutong MP Karpal Singh said that there is no doubt in his mind that legal action can be taken against the cops and the government for their errant behaviour and Pakatan will initiate legal proceedings in due course.
The Pakatan MPs’ reaction came in the footsteps of strident police action against Bersih 2.0 activists after the rally and all its supporting paraphernalia were declared illegal by the Home Ministry.
Police have since moved against any who were in possession of such paraphernalia or attending functions promoting Bersih.
Over a hundred have been arrested thus far for wearing the distinctive yellow T-shirts or taking part in roadshows which promote the rally pushing for electoral reforms.
Dozens of other, including opposition state assemblypersons and members of Parliament have been called in for questioning over the mammoth rally planned for July 9.
The opposition has expressed fears that the government will use what they believe are made-up concerns for public order and safety as a pretext to come down hard and arrest top opposition leaders.
Several foreign activists and observers were also arrested, with two to be deported by authorities for allegedly being involved in planning the Bersih rally.
Sungai Siput MP D Jeyakumar of PSM and 30 party activists, on an unrelated roadshow to discuss the rakyat’s concerns, have also been arrested in Penang, accused of “waging war against the king” for being in possession of T-shirts bearing the likeness of former communist figures.
Cows get mad… seeing red.
UMNO B get mad seeing yellow.
Suddenly….yellow ties..caps…hats…T-shirts…watches..shoes…are best sellers.
Our Badminton hero Lee Chong Wei love wearing yellow sport shoes to match up the BMF yellow T-shirt.
UMNO and Polis sudah gila Babi.
They are not really mad in a sense all need to get their brains checked up.
It is the fear of loosing power.
The most unfair and unjust government is seen so clear now.
Why the fear of loosing power?
Go and imagine a gangster chief and a murderer get caught and what do they fear most?
So the only hope is actually creating fear to the extreme..hoping Malaysians will surrender like before and vote for gangsters and thieves to govern the country and let all live in peace and harmony…poor as a church mouse…OK..as long as alive and well.
That’s their hope..for they know…race and religion dirty politics won’t work now.
It has to be provocations…insults .. create fear…create all sorts of laws to make them look lawful to do as they like.
Their only ace left..is still governing….and just look at the ways they talk and behave.
Are not all the signs show they fear loosing power?
///Umno president Najib Abdul Razak said Umno is capable of mobilising 3 million of its members if it wanted to go all out against those elements seeking to bring about chaos through street…///–Malaysiakini
Najib has just confirmed that the three million members cannot think, and thus they could be mobilized to bring about chaos through street. There are fewer people who know to do the right thing, and they are the ordinary citizens who want to see free and fair election. The Bersih group does not intend to bring about chaos in the street, they just wanted to say that there should be free and fair election, a message UMNO government does not wanted voters to take note. Though UMNO has not sent out UMNO members yet, they have made the police deny citizens their right to assemble. Why does Najib bother about sending out UMNO members to go against Bersih when the change of government should only take place at the ballot boxes?
Why don’t we paint Parliament, Putrajya, our Courts, and police stations Yellow and with Bersih word on it so the police have to shut them down and stop the pretence that WE actually HAVE a government or even an actual society. We are governed but we don’t own it. We may lived side by side BUT we are no longer a society unless we take back our government.
UMNO melayu madness, is it caused by super mixed of various bloods!…and, the recent madness we are witnessing was triggered off by the latest addition of Mamak blood…macam parasite bacteria induced into the blood stream of these sewage rats..
Shoot! Will umno now direct all car vendors to cease the sale of yellow cars?
Check out shopping centres too people. Maybe they hv already got umno’s direction to stop selling yellow clothing items.
Heck. My willy looks a little pale and in fact it is more on the yellow side. But that is a secret people. Dont let umno hear about it OK?
Don’t forget there r MPs with yellow golden teeth n gold fingers in d Parliament, OK ah?