Umno Youth members have lodged a police report against the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) demonstration that is set to be held in Kuala Lumpur next month.

Saying that they are ‘concerned’ that harmony would be threatened and that businesses of traders would be disrupted, the movement urged the authorities to clamp down fast and hard.

NONE The wing’s exco member in charge of urban welfare Tengku Azman Tengku Zainol Abidin ( second from left in picture ) brushed aside assurances by the Bersih 2.0 rally organisers that it will be a peaceful assembly, claiming that history has shown otherwise.

“With the large number (of supporters), will they be able to guarantee they can control their emotions? Usually they riot,” he said.

Tengku Azman acknowledged that while Malaysians have the constitutional right to free assembly, he stressed that it must be done according to the law and echoed the suggestion by Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein to have it in an enclosed area like a stadium.

“When we in Umno organise demonstrations not all of us will go. What’s wrong with just sending representatives to hand over their memorandum?”

“Don’t wait until there is a loss of RM10 million to take action. Then there is no use,” he said, calling on the authorities to remember the ‘lessons’ from the first Bersih demonstration ( below ) in November 2007 and the various anti-Internal Security Act rallies held later.

The Bersih rally, in particular, saw tens of thousands of people calling for free and fair elections.

The day-long affair was mostly peaceful and saw the successful submission of a memorandum on the matter by the leaders of Pakatan to the National Palace, although the police did crack down severely on disparate groups of demonstrators who were in different parts of Kuala Lumpur.

bersih rally 271207 02 Responding to reporters, Tengku Azman said he based his complaints to police on an article in PKR organ Suara Keadilan yesterday, quoting party vice-president Tian Chua saying that 60,000 people were expected to attend the demonstration.

Another report in the same publication had also quoted the new PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu as rallying all PAS members to join the rally on July 9.

According to Tengku Azman, seven other NGOs have also lodged police reports at the same time - including Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman Night Market Traders Association, Wilayah Persekutuan Wira Perkasa and Gertak.

Meanwhile, the Putrajaya Umno Youth wing also lodged a police report at the Putrajaya police headquarters today, saying that the rally will only lead to the “destruction of Malaysia”.

National Umno Youth exco member Mohd Hisamudin Yahaya, who represented the group, urged the police to take early measures to “protect public security and peace” while calling on Malaysians, especially youths, to shun the rally.

“We hope the authorities/police take the heaviest action on the organisers and those who are involved in the coming rally,” he said in a statement.

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