Posted on

Bersih and the wider trust deficit problem

By Hafiz Noor Shams
July 16, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

JULY 16 — Somewhere in Streatham, south of London earlier this year, I found myself slouching lazily on a couch watching the BBC with a friend and his still lazier cat. On television was the Egyptian revolution “live”, with protesters and government supporters throwing rocks at each other. Such was the lamentable state of Egypt that used to be the apex of human civilisation not once, but twice. Its deeply-flawed institutions had reduced Egypt into a state of anarchy.

“Don’t you find this impossible?” I think I asked my friend. “We know these protesters want Mubarak out but what about his supporters? Are their wishes less legitimate than those protesting on the streets?”

The reply came promptly, “The importance of a credible election. Credible elections are important in determining popular opinion. Nothing in Egypt has enough credibility or the competence to ascertain the popular opinion right now.” Continue reading “Bersih and the wider trust deficit problem”

Posted on

BNM can freeze Bersih assets, says Awang Adek

July 15, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

Datuk Awang Adek Hussin today said Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) can freeze the assets of those believed to be participating in activities deemed risky to the nation’s security if the police recommend so.

The deputy finance minister highlighted this in relation to reports that the Bersih 2.0 movement headed by Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan was receiving foreign funding for its activities.

According to Awang, provisions within the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act allowed for the central bank to not only bar access to such funds but also trace both deposits and withdrawals of the offending accounts. Continue reading “BNM can freeze Bersih assets, says Awang Adek”

Posted on

One event, many ‘truths’

By Eric Loo
Jul 15, 11 | MalaysiaKini

Being clean is good. Being clean in government is best. So, the people walked the streets of KL for a clean cause. But when the government and its media played dirty on the discontented multitudes who flooded the streets of Jalan Tun Perak, Jalan Petaling and Jalan Pudu on July 9, it makes me very angry. I was there.

Right-wing threats against Bersih, splashed across the mainstream papers and screened on television, had ironically mobilised to the public square the Malays, the Chinese, the Indians and other usually ‘invisible’ minority groups. The people gathered and chanted as one body in front of Menara Maybank. ‘Hidup Bersih! Hidup Rakyat! Hancur Bersih! Hancur Rakyat!’ Continue reading “One event, many ‘truths’”

Posted on

Poet Samad Said to boycott gov’t functions

By Nigel Aw
Jul 15, 11 | MalaysiaKini

Protesting the government’s crackdown on peaceful protesters in Kuala Lumpur last Saturday, distinguished poet and novelist A Samad Said said he will from now on not attend government functions.

“I don’t know how my friends in government will react, but I will not accept any invitation from the government. For the moment, I will not entertain them,” he said. Continue reading “Poet Samad Said to boycott gov’t functions”

Posted on

A Faltering Premier

By Karim Raslan
July 14, 2011 | Jakarta Globe

When a political party such as Malaysia’s United Malays National Organization has ruled a nation for more than half a century, its missteps can shake an entire society.

As Malaysia recovers from last weekend’s Bersih 2.0 demonstrations in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, the normally placid 28 million population has to come to terms with its continuing immaturity in terms of politics, civil society and governance.

But in order to understand why, we have to go back in history — first to the 2008 polls and the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition’s surprise drubbing at the hands of the opposition People’s Alliance, and on to the 2009 rise of Najib Razak, who replaced the well-intentioned, if accident-prone, Abdullah Badawi as prime minister. Continue reading “A Faltering Premier”

Posted on

Sizzling yellow reception for Najib in UK

MalaysiaKini
Jul 15, 11

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s visit to the United Kingdom was greeted by protesters in yellow condemning the high-handed crackdown on Bersih 2.0 rally last Saturday and demanded electoral reform.

Dozens of protesters, comprising both Malaysians and foreigners, gathered outside Mansion House at London an hour before Najib’s arrivalfor a meeting with the London business community.

Yellow posters and banners, condemning the clampdown on Bersih 2.0 were unfurled, urging the Malaysian government to release six Parti Sosialis (PSM) activists dubbed “EO6” being held under the Emergency Ordinance which allows indefinite detention without trial. Continue reading “Sizzling yellow reception for Najib in UK”

Posted on

Kit Siang says EO detainee Jeyakumar is all right

By Joseph Sipalan
Jul 15, 11 | MalaysiaKini

Sungai Siput MP Dr D Jeyakumar is holding up well despite having been detained for nearly three weeks now, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang said today after meeting up with the Parti Sosialis Malaysia activist.

Lim, who with PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub and PKR’s Subang Jaya MP R Sivarasa met with Jeyakumar for 20 minutes at the Bukit Aman federal police headquarters earlier today, said he PSM was doing “okay” so far.

“By and large he is okay, despite the wear and tear. Continue reading “Kit Siang says EO detainee Jeyakumar is all right”

Posted on

Detention of PSM MP mockery of the law

By K Pragalath
July 15, 201 | Free Malaysia Today

KUALA LUMPUR: Whoever framed the charges under the Emergency Ordinance to detain six Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) activists must be exposed, said DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang.

“Whoever is responsible for concocting the charges must be exposed and the government must also provide a full explanation for the detention,” he said.

“The detention is a mockery of the law,” said Lim after meeting with Sungai Siput MP, Dr D Michael Jeyakumar in Bukit Aman today. Continue reading “Detention of PSM MP mockery of the law”

Posted on

Men in blue pounce on MP in yellow

By G Vinod
July 15, 2011 | Free Malaysia Today

PETALING JAYA: DAP MP Er Teck Hwa landed in trouble when he wore the banned Bersih 2.0 yellow T-shirt on his way to a memorial service for the late Teoh Beng Hock yesterday.

Relating the incident, the Bakri MP’s aide Liew Choan Chee said some 50 people gathered at Wisma DAP in Muar, Johor, for the service at 8pm.

There was a FRU truck and several policemen stationed nearby.

“We were supposed to march to Er’s service centre which is about 300 yards from the DAP building. When we started walking, several police officers stopped our procession,” said Liew. Continue reading “Men in blue pounce on MP in yellow”

Posted on

Najib suffers from a “mild stroke” in UK

He calls police action “quite mild”
By Martin Jalleh

It appears that the Prime Minister has suffered a mild “brain attack” whilst on an official visit to UK.

He experienced sudden trouble speaking or understanding speech, dizziness, lightheadedness loss of “balance or coordination”, “spinning” sensations, and “brain seizures”.

It happened when Najib was telling CNN in an interview conducted in London that police action on those who took part in the Bersih 2.0 march on July 9, was “quite mild”.

There was no “undue use of force”. It was of course not as mild as his initial response when he even initially claimed there was “no physical contact between police and protesters”!
Continue reading “Najib suffers from a “mild stroke” in UK”

Posted on

Free EO detainees as Bersih rally over, says Pakatan

By Boo Su-Lyn
July 15, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, July 15 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) demanded today for the immediate release of the six Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) members held under the Emergency Ordinance 1969 as the Bersih rally was over.

“709 is over. There is no case or justification to hold (Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael) Jeyakumar (Devaraj) or the PSM six,” DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang told reporters today, referring to the July 9 Bersih rally that drew tens of thousands.

Lim’s joint press conference with PAS’s Kubang Kerian MP Salahuddin Ayub and PKR’s Subang MP R. Sivarasa was held after they visited Dr Jeyakumar at the Bukit Aman police headquarters here. Continue reading “Free EO detainees as Bersih rally over, says Pakatan”

Posted on

“Malaysia Worked For Peaceful Protest”

By Ahmad Rozian
15 Jul 2011 | Wall Street Journal

Your editorial (“Crackdown 2.0 in Malaysia,” July 12) states that protesters in Kuala Lumpur have suffered “intimidation” and “repression” at the hands of the government in recent weeks. The truth is somewhat different.

Malaysians have a constitutional right to peaceful assembly and throughout the build-up to last weekend’s protest Prime Minister Najib Razak worked to find a solution that would allow Bersih to exercise that right. This included offering the use of a large-capacity stadium where the event could be held safely and without disrupting the lives and businesses of ordinary Malaysians. Continue reading ““Malaysia Worked For Peaceful Protest””

Posted on

Untameable Bersih Part 2, understanding it

By Sakmongkol AK47
July 15, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

JULY 15 — Some spell it as “tamable”. Others as “tameable”. The fact remains, the marchers cannot be tamed and though battered and aspersed, remained unbowed and honourable.

How do we make sense and explain the actions that took place after Bersih?

Let’s have our own debriefing session lest we agonise over how the media characterised our fellow citizens who marched on July 9. On the whole, I think, those people who marched towards Stadium Merdeka on July 9 before being horribly set upon by the police with tear gas and chemically-laced water are good, honourable and public-spirited people. Continue reading “Untameable Bersih Part 2, understanding it”

Posted on

Why did the police do what they did?

By Zan Azlee
July 15, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

JULY 15 — The tough policeman with the huge muscles grabbed me by my shoulders and flung me towards the sidewalk not caring that I had a press tag around my neck.

I struggled to keep my balance and not drop my camera. I barely managed to not trip over the curb.

“Halau cameraman itu! (Get rid of that cameraman!)” screamed the policeman’s other colleagues.

My crime? I was shooting a bunch of arrested demonstrators being led out of Tung Shin Hospital and through a police line. Continue reading “Why did the police do what they did?”

Posted on

The elephant in the (news)room

By Dr Mustafa K Anuar
July 15, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

JULY 15 — The morning after. The pro-government mainstream press splashed headlines, news reports, so-called “analyses” and photos that essentially and predictably mocked, discredited and demonised the leaders, supporters and participants of the Bersih 2.0 rally in Kuala Lumpur last Saturday.

For instance, the Sunday Star carried a front-page headline that said: “Defiant”. The bold headline accompanied a huge picture of a face-off between the Federal Reserve Unit and other police personnel on the one hand and the protesters on the other at the temporarily closed Puduraya bus terminal. Continue reading “The elephant in the (news)room”

Posted on

Cartoons, yellow tees, now ties – what’s next?

Malaysiakini Your Say | Jul 15, 11

‘When are they going to learn that Bersih, when it’s in the rakyat’s hearts, cannot be removed from the rakyat by banning yellow ties and T-shirts?’

Police to tighten noose against Bersih neckties, too

DannyLoHH: Is there a way to file a class suit against the police and the home minister for their unconstitutional and unlawful outlawing of all things Bersih?

Wearing a Bersih shirt or shirt with the word ‘Bersih’, or even just the Bersih logo should not be illegal as we are a democratic country. Wearing a Bersih shirt does not mean we are a member of the ‘outlaw organisation’ nor does it necessarily mean we’re providing (material) support the organisation.
Continue reading “Cartoons, yellow tees, now ties – what’s next?”

Posted on

Tung Shin should put people before gov’t

Malaysiakini Your Say | Jul 15, 11

‘Tung Shin missed the point: as a social entity with a mission, who should Tung Shin entertain first – the police or those who need help?’

Doctors: We’ll produce more evidence if challenged

Cala: Honorary secretary of Tung Shin Hospital board Chong Teck Hong has turned Tung Shin into a state apparatus.

From Chong’s perspective, the assumption is that the hospital is both a private property as well as a common-pool resource. The property is privately-owned by a certain entity or corporation. It is also common-pool resource, similar to commercial shopping centres like Subang Parade, since it cannot reject anybody from entering.
Continue reading “Tung Shin should put people before gov’t”

Posted on

Bersih: My final thoughts

By Art Harun
July 14, 2011 | The Malaysian Insider

JULY 14 — “Wise men profit more from fools than fools from wise men; for the wise men shun the mistakes of fools, but fools do not imitate the successes of the wise.” — Cato the Elder (234 BC – 149 BC) from Plutarch, Lives.

In my opinion, the biggest mistake that the government had made in the Bersih issue was to isolate a large section of the society from itself, anger them and convert them into a Bersih sympathiser and/or supporter.

At some point of time before the Bersih rally — in my opinion it was about the time Pak Samad said was hauled to the police station — the Bersih movement had transcended its electoral reform objective into a full-scale platform for the people to vent their frustrations, disappointments, angst and anger to the government. Continue reading “Bersih: My final thoughts”

Posted on

BERSIH 2.0: Pengalaman Saya

By Khalid Samad
14 July 2011

Pengalaman saya bersama Perhimpunan BERSIH 2.0 bermula pada jam 11 pagi apabila saya dengan seorang teman dari PAS Shah Alam menuju ke Kuala Lumpur. Pada mulanya kami mencuba Lebuh Raya Persekutuan. Ianya sesak dari sebelum Tol Batu 3. Kami cuba pintas melalui Glenmarie. Trafik sesak di hadapan kilang pengedar kereta BMW. Kami memutuskan untuk berpusing balik dan mencuba pula melalui ELITE/PLUS menuju ke KLIA. Masuk di Batu 3, keluar di Tol USJ. Seterusnya menuju ke arah Puchong. Seterusnya kami menyusuri Jalan Gasing dan melalui kawasan Universiti Malaya sehingga keluar di Jalan Pantai. Dari situ terus menuju ke KL Sentral.

Sekatan jalan oleh polis di merata tempat. BN menyusahkan rakyat semata-mata kerana hendak menghalang program yang menegur mereka. Turut bersimpati dengan pihak polis, berpanas dan mendapat sumpahan rakyat berbakul-bakul semata-mata kerana UMNO/BN. Hanya pencuri dan BN yang bergembira dengan penggunaan polis secara sebegini. Tetapi, kalau difikirkan, memang terdapat persamaan di situ. Pencuri mencuri secara ‘illegal’, BN mencuri harta rakyat melalui cara ‘legal’. Continue reading “BERSIH 2.0: Pengalaman Saya”