Sarawak PKR leader Baru Bian, newly sworn-in as the state assemblyperson for Ba'Kelalan, has snubbed Deputy Foreign Minister Richard Riot's warning to Sarawakians to stay away from Bersih's rally on July 9.

NONE "I believe many Sarawakians will come. I urge them to join Bersih. I will be there myself, on the 9th of July," Baru ( right ) told Malaysiakini .

Even though Bersih has pledged to hold a peaceful demonstration, many political leaders are predicting violence at the rally for electoral reform.

Richard Riot, BN MP for Serian from the struggling Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP), commented on June 20 that "if this planned procession happens, I worry that the demonstration would turn ugly with fighting that could lead to a bloodbath."

"When this happens ( sic )," Riot said, "what we had witnessed in Egypt, Syria and Libya might happen here."

"As a safety precaution, I can only advise fellow Sarawakians who reside or happen to be at the nation's capital to stay at home or at least stay away from the affected area on the day of the protest," he told the Borneo Post , a pro-BN news daily.

In a frenzied response to the rally, opponents of Bersih have threatened chaos and violence.

Ibrahim Ali, leader of right-wing pressure group Perkasa, warned that "I believe the Chinese community, many of them, will have to stock up on food at home...anything can happen." 

'Hanky panky' in Sarawak elections

"Sarawakians should not stay away from Bersih," Baru said calmly, shortly after his swearing in ceremony at the state legislature.

 "It is plain and obvious that there were so many (instances of) hanky panky in the Sarawak state election, and we should support Bersih."

NONE Bersih, a civil society coalition, has expressed disgust at the Election Commission's ongoing claims that it is powerless to act on abuses reported in previous elections.

The EC ignored an inducement offered by Premier Najib Abdul Razak during last year's Sibu by-election. The rejected drainage deal was worth RM5 million to Sibu voters if they elected an SUPP candidate.

Malaysian Election Observers (MEO-Net), an NGO monitoring the April Sarawak state assembly elections, has released video recordings and documents in support of its claims that vote-buying was rampant .

Opposition election workers have also reported misuse of the government bureaucracy by the ruling BN coalition, manipulation of tuai rumah (community heads), threats and intimidation by gangsters or thugs, unmet promises of development projects, and BN monopoly of public transport and the mass media.

Sarawakians joining Bersih

Francis Siah, leader of local grassroots organisation Movement for Change Sarawak (MoCS), remarked that applying for a police permit for a public rally appears to be moot.

The MoCS has called for public demonstrations all over Sarawak on August 13 to pressure Sarawak's chief minister Taib Mahmud to resign from his post as he faces a series of damaging allegations of corruption and capital flight.

NONE Umno Youth leader Khairy Jamaluddin ( right ) meanwhile has insisted its members will proceed with their "counter rally" against Bersih on July 9, despite police demands for all rallies to be cancelled.

"Khairy has declared that Umno Youth will not be applying for a police permit and that the time for police warnings is over," Siah noted. "If Khairy leads Umno Youth to the streets on July 9 and is not arrested, then we know what to do."

Many other Sarawakians appear similarly unfazed by Riot's warning of "bloodshed and fighting from both sides".

They point out that Riot has watched SUPP's fortunes plummet, with the SUPP winning only six out of the 19 state assembly seats it contested in the state election. Riot is facing growing concern over his own prospects of retaining the Serian parliamentary seat in the coming general election.

If Bersih succeeds in mobilising large crowds in support of free and fair elections on July 9, such a show of public sentiment may fuel interest in the MoCS anti-Taib rallies planned for Aug 13.

Following Riot's statement, one commentator made a defiant posting on the Borneo Post website, "I am Sarawakian and I am joining (the July 9 Bersih rally). Those who don't join, please do not complain about corruption and price hikes, just shut up and live as cowards. I do know a lot of other Sarawakians are also joining."

 

KERUAH USIT is a human rights activist - ‘ anak Sarawak, bangsa Malaysia ’. This weekly column is an effort to provide a voice for marginalised Malaysians. Keruah Usit can be contacted at keruah_usit@yahoo.com