In a bid to counter official propaganda, PKR has launched a Bersih 4 photography competition where participants can walk away with prizes of up to RM1,000 for the best photograph of the event.

“This competition is held to show the true situation at the Bersih 4 rally as seen through the lenses of the people themselves.

“This will counter negative propaganda about the Bersih 4 coming from the BN-led government,” said PKR strategy director Sim Tze Tzin in a statement today.

Meanwhile, Semambu assemblyperson Lee Chean Chung questioned Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s claim that only 20,000 people attended the Bersih 4 rally.

In disputing the claim, Lee said PKR had set up a counter at the rally to collect signatures of those supporting the release of the party’s de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim.

Over the 24-hour period when the counter was open, he said, PKR collected some 30,000 signatures and the signatures were delivered to the party headquarters today.

“So I feel intrigued that we could collect 30,000 signatures whereas some media reported that only 20,000 attended the rally.

“At the very least, 30,000 people have signed this, so the number of those who attended must be far higher,” Lee ( photo ) said.

Bersih claims that an estimated total of 500,000 persons have participated in the rally throughout the last weekend, peaking at about 200,000 persons at a time on Saturday.

Malaysiakini estimates a peak of about 100,000 persons on the first day and 80,000 on the second day, while Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamad said the police estimated that 50,000 people attended the rally.

For the photography competition, Sim said, participants are to submit their works to the email address [email protected] by Sept 6, and shortlisted works would be published on the Demi Rakyat Facebook page the following day.

Photos that garner the most likes from Sept 7 until Sept 16 would win RM1,000, while the first runner-up would win RM300 and the second runner-up, RM200. Terms and conditions are also available on the Demi Rakyat Facebook page.

Sim ( photo ) said since the government is reportedly trying to investigate Bersih 4 participants through photos published on social media, the competition is also an open defiance against the government.

“This amounts to persecution against the Bersih 4 participants and is excessive,” he said.

On another matter, PKR vice-president Tian Chua urged the Bersih protesters who stepped on a picture of Najib and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang to come forward and apologise for their behaviour.

Tian Chua said the act is irresponsible, uncalled for and regrettable.

“It is totally against the intention and objective of Bersih. There is no necessity to humiliate or insult any leader during the gathering,” he told the press conference.

He also downplayed reports of a low Malay turnout at the rally, saying that public discourse should have gone beyond that and not be “hypersensitive” about the ethnicity of the participants.

“If we look at all the international media, I did not see The Wall Street Journal or The Guardian say that there were so many Chinese Malaysians demonstrating.

“They just say hundreds of thousands of Malaysians are calling for the prime minister to step down. I didn’t expect the alternative and social media to be actually advocating things like that,” Tian Chua ( photo ) said.

At the press conference, PKR also held a small awards ceremony for its previous competition to design an anti-GST logo, which had a similar format as its current photography competition.

Sim said the campaign had a reach of 639,400 Facebook users, and the large number showed that the people were still against the goods and services tax, which was implemented in April.

“From the people’s feedback, they are still unhappy with GST and this sentiment is reflected in all corners of the country.

“Although the 1MDB scandal and the RM2.6 billion scandal is the hot issue in the media, this does not mean the people have accepted GST,” he said.

Sim added that one particular source of high dissatisfaction towards the GST is that it is imposed on reloads of prepaid mobile phone services.

He urged that the government either zero-rate the GST for the reloads, or that Communications Minister Salleh Said Keruak exercises his prerogative to set the rate for prepaid mobile services.

PKR also announced today that it is continuing its annual sale of ‘Reformasi mooncakes’ in conjunction with the coming Mid-Autumn Festival Sept 27.

However, unlike in previous years, Lee said some of the mooncakes would contain a paper slip that reads #BebasAnwar.

He said those who find the paper slip can redeem it for a postcard, which would contain an autograph by Anwar’s eldest child and Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar.

In Chinese folklore, paper slips hidden in mooncakes have been used to pass messages during the Yuan Dynasty, to signal for an uprising against the Mongol occupation on Mid-Autumn day, which eventually brought forth the Ming Dynasty.

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