Make up your mind on Bersih, Nur Jazlan told
Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan has been told to make up his mind on how the government views the legality of the upcoming Bersih 4 rally.
“Over the span of nine days, Nur Jazlan has changed his position on the Bersih 4 rally multiple times.
“Bersih, the coalition for clean and fair elections, seeks a logical answer from the minister to this simple question: If ‘the government has no problem with Bersih 4’ (August 12), and “the people are not keen to demonstrate’ (August 15), why should ‘the world’s most tolerant police’ ban Bersih 4 (August 20)?
“Bersih reiterates that Bersih 4 is called as a peaceful assembly to show the public’s lack of confidence in Prime Minister Najib Razak and the political system,” said Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah in a statement today.
“Despite Nur Jazlan's wavering positions over nine days, Bersih's position remains unwavering,” she said, adding the rally in Kuala Lumpur on August 29 to 30 and in Kuching and Kota Kinabalu will proceed as planned.
Maria reiterated her call to Najib to face up to the challenge of Bersih as a people’s vote of confidence in his claimed legitimacy to remain as prime minister.
A low turnout, she said, would vindicate Najib.
“A moral victory for Najib in either case will end the ongoing political crisis threatening our economic stability and prospects.
“Is Najib bold enough to accept the challenges?” she asked.
“Nur Jazlan, who was an outspoken government backbencher till his executive appointment, should persuade Najib to see the merits of such challenges and accept them,” said Maria.
Police ban ‘illegal’
Meanwhile PKR’s Padang Serai MP N Surendran said police declaring the rally “illegal” and “banned” have no legal basis.
“Under the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAA) 2012, there is no provision giving the police or the government any powers to ban any public assembly or to declare it illegal,” he said in a statement today.
“The police only have powers (under section 21 of the PAA) to disperse an assembly in certain limited circumstances, such as if it has become disorderly or is held near a prohibited place.
“Therefore the police themselves are acting in breach of the PAA 2012 and the federal constitution when they declared the Bersih gathering to be 'illegal',” said the prominent lawyer.
Bersih organisers, he said, had gone beyond the requirements of the law when they submitted notice of the gathering to the police and as such there is no further issue.
“It is disturbing that the various statements coming from the police and Home Ministry appear to be in disregard of the provisions of the PAA 2012 itself, as explained above.
“The authorities also appear to be unaware that there is no longer any notice requirement subsequent to the Nik Nazmi decision.
”The authorities must uphold the law, and not issue statements in blatant contradiction of the law,” said Surendran.
“The police and Home Ministry must immediately retract their declaration that the Bersih 4 gathering is illegal, and do everything in their power to facilitate this important and popular public assembly,” he added.
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