'Selamat Hari Raya, Bersiap ke Jalanraya'
In its Hari Raya message, electoral reform movement Bersih expresses hope that Malaysians are prepared for the possibility of taking to the streets to push for change in the country.
Its message is titled "Selamat Hari Raya, Bersiap ke Jalanraya" (Hari Raya greetings, prepare to take to the streets).
Bersih lamented that despairing news have emerged in the last week of Ramadan.
"From riots, cheating and corruption to racial threats, the nation will celebrate Hari Raya with sadness and confusion," it added.
Expressing concern over the brawls that had occurred at Low Yat Plaza over the weekend, the election watchdog lamented how it took the authorities more than five hours to defuse the situation, even though the incident took place near the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters.
"The lack of seriousness on the part of the police in tackling violence, letting the situation drag on for hours, is very worrying.
"We still remember how fast it took for the police to stop peaceful gatherings before this, where participants had faced violent actions of the police, even though they brought the message of change and were not armed," Bersih said.
The fracas that erupted at Low Yat Plaza over the weekend stemmed from a fight last Saturday evening, in which a theft suspect, together with his friends, attacked an electronics store at the mall.
The suspect and his friends claimed he had been cheated by shopkeepers.
However, police confirmed that the suspect had indeed stolen a handphone.
Sunday night saw several media personnel, and a bar staff, injured during attacks by of people who gathered outside the mall, in response to the Saturday night incident.
Selective action by police
Meanwhile, Bersih said the selective action by the police would worsen the trend of violence.
"We have seen how groups, such as Perkasa and the likes, have, a number of times, organised violent demonstrations at government offices and the offices of opposition leaders without action taken against them," it said.
Urging Malaysians to reject racist politics, Bersih reminded the people how racist politics had always been used to divert attention away from bigger issues, such as the 1MDB controversy.
"Bersih is confident that the majority of Malaysians hope to make Malaysia a country that speaks the truth, is free, and where the people live in mutual understanding.
"We stress that all that these can be achieved by improving all institutions at all levels, especially through a free and fair election system, a functional Parliament and an end to corruption," Bersih added.
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