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YOURSAY | ‘I don't get the PM. Even if Bersih is an opposition rally, so what?’

Najib slams Bersih's struggle as 'fake' on eve of rally

Anonymous 1890491455255851: My support for the Bersih movement is based on its call for clean and fair elections and its anti-corruption push. It has nothing to do with the opposition.

PM Najib Razak would do well to listen to those who are sick and tired of massive corruption, money which could have gone to bettering services and facilities in this country.

We want our vote, whoever we choose, to count. And that the vote will not end up being worthless because of gerrymandering and sneaky methods to favour one side over another.

Tony Soprano: The yellow shirts may prove ineffective as always. But if thousands of people take to the streets without government prompting, it's not fake.

If I may be permitted some international analogies, it wasn't fake when students demonstrated by the thousands for democracy in Tiananmen Square. The only fake aspect of it was the cynical Chinese government claim that only a handful of students were killed.

And it wasn't fake when angry street demonstrations in the US after 1968, which essentially ended the Vietnam war.

Quigonbond: I don't get the PM. Even if Bersih is an opposition rally, so what? Freedom of assembly is guaranteed under our Federal Constitution and there is a mechanism in place under Peaceful Assembly Act.

You get to impose a police state, kangaroo court, and to gerrymander. Surely the opposition can be allowed to only rally.

6th Generation Immigrant: Whether or not Bersih is from the opposition, the fact remains that it is a gathering of Malaysians (political and apolitical) who are "opposed" to the current government.

Bersih engages and explains issues to the people, the current government conceals and shies away from them. They spin stories, arrest, deny and use the law to protect their positions.

They even support (the red-shirts) thuggery - in short, they give very good reasons and excuses for anyone, not just Bersih, to question the current bad governance.

Malaysians who want better choices should therefore be allowed to vent frustrations on all the wrongs of the government.

The PM should also note that the term ‘opposition’, when used, must not be solely relegated to just elected representatives alone; they also encompass the people from all walks of life - hence the peaceful assembly through Bersih.

Just Sharing: Mr PM, as you always claim to be democratically elected, so please let the people to exercise their democratic rights too.

As a PM who upholds democracy, please ensure the people's democratic rights are being protected, and this include the right to hold a peaceful street protest. Please rein in your party members from being troublemakers.

Dalvik: Najib, your 1Malaysia slogan is fake - you blamed the Chinese tsunami following GE13, and then you signed deals with China that could bring in their workers to carry out infrastructure projects.

Your Global Movement of Moderates foundation is fake - your action of condoning gangster-like Jamal Md Yunos showed just how fake you are.

Your claim of "the era of government knows best is over” is fake - you made rakyat suffer and you failed to listen to rakyat and implemented GST (Goods and Services Tax).

Your claim of “RM2.6 billion was a donation, and not for personal gain” was fake - you did not even dare to admit MO1 (Malaysian Official 1) is you when US Department of Justice (DOJ) reports has every evidence pointing to you.

You claimed you were concerned about the Kelantan flood - it was so fake because you'd rather play golf with US President Barack Obama in Hawaii.

You have made many fake statements and actions - perhaps that's why you thought everything around you, including Bersih, that has good cause is fake.

IGP: If you don't obey the law, why ask for protection?

Quigonbond: I find the inspector-general of police’s (IGP) approach preposterous. Let me drawn an analogy.

Assuming Bersih gathering is illegal, so is theft. So IGP is saying that if someone is a thief, another person can threaten and even hurt that first person and the police will not intervene. Well, IGP, a lot of Malaysians think that our PM is a thief. Is it okay if we threaten and inflict harm on him?

You may argue that you are the police and therefore you are the law. Wrong! The court on a good day will decide justifiably whether something is illegal or not - which Bersih has fought and won before.

Their notice under Peaceful Assembly Act (PAA) is valid. They are not seeking your permission to rally. They are giving you notice so that you can do your job.

Old Timer: This top cop is ignorant of the law that provides the right to rakyat to protest, and it seems he forgets that his fat pay comes from the rakyat who now ask for protection from the violent red-shirt gangsters.

He is neglecting his fiducial duty and biting the hands that feed him. How ironical!

Rupert16: To the politically compromised, Twitter-happy IGP, kindly read this comment from a High Court judge:

Justice S Nantha Balan, also cited Section 18 of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012, where authority is given to the police to divert any rival group to an alternative place, or venue or time or day.

“Section 18 of PAA operates as a safety valve to avert a clash of conflict. The power to do this lies with the police and not the traders,” he said.

Léon Moch: Indeed, the police are not the final arbiter of what is unlawful and what is not. That is the domain of the judiciary.

The police are obliged to protect all citizens including those who have been convicted of crimes, let alone those who have not.

Protection from crimes is unconditional and not provided on in return of compliance with the law.


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