Police should help to make Bersih 2 rally orderly — PKR Lanang chiarman

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SIBU: The chairman of PKR Lanang Division George Chen suggests that the police should help to ensure that the planned Bersih 2 rally on July 9 in Kuala Lumpur will be a peaceful one rather than stopping the people from taking part.

He said the rally should be allowed to go on as a platform for the people to seek justice and fairness in the coming general election.

“Everyone knows that the Election Commission has not been fair and transparent in carrying out its duties and it is the people’s rights to join the rally to have their voices heard,” he told a press conference here yesterday.

When asked, Chen said they had yet to receive words whether the same Bersih 2 rally would be held in Sarawak.

“We are still waiting for directives from the Bersih 2 organisers in Kuala Lumpur. We will make our next move once we have received the directives,” he said.

According to Chen, Section 10A of the Malaysian Constitution had stated very clearly that if the people were not happy with the government, they had the rights to go to the streets asking for change.

“However, the Police Act 1957 also states that the police have the right to control or stop any illegal assembly of more than 10 persons.”

Chen said the two clauses contradicted each other, and paradoxically, it effectively implied the Police Act had greater influence over Section 10A of the Malaysian constitution, which should, unfortunately, not be the case.

“We hope the police will respect the constitution and ensure that the rally is allowed to proceed peacefully instead of stopping the people from taking part in the rally,” he added.

Chen said the police should instead assist in making the rally orderly, just like they assisted in organising parade during National Day celebrations and other festivals.

Chen also questioned Perkasa and Umno Youth wing for wanting to hold a rally on the same day.

“They can come up with their own rally on Aug 9 or Sept 9. Why do they have to do it on July 9 the same day with Bersih 2? This only reflects that the government is losing power.”

Chen said that the 2007 Bersih 1 was proven to be very effective with strong participation from the people concerned about their political future.

Following the rally, the government lost five states to the opposition in the 2008 general election.

“We hope Bersih 2 will bring about some changes to the eight-point reform pursued by the opposition pact.”