Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan today listed out five examples to prove his claim that Bersih is out to topple the ruling BN government.

This is after DAP's Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming demanded evidence, after the minister said the government will blacklist businesses which back Bersih.

The five examples given are:

  • Rally leaders during Bersih 4 last year urging the crowd to reject Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and to vote against BN;
     
  • Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah and former chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan spoke at various opposition party events, including during the Teluk Intan by-elections;
     
  • Bersih joining opposition-organised anti-goods and services tax (GST) rallies when "a universally-accepted and modern taxation system has nothing to do with election reforms";
     
  • Bersih inviting Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to official the Penang roadshows, even though he has been charged with corruption; and
     
  • Bersih 4 and Bersih 5 calling for PM to step down despite him being exonerated of any crime by the authorities.

Rahman said Bersih had also shot itself in the foot by decrying phantom voters and "blackouts", only to have this debunked by the coalition's own Pemantau (polling observers) report.

The NGO was "parroting the opposition's ridiculous allegations", he said in a statement.

The minister said it is time to drop pretences that Bersih is non-partisan.

"It is time to call a spade a spade, and to admit that Bersih is now just another tool for the opposition party rather than a body that supposedly fights for elections reforms," he said.

Earlier Rahman, who is in charge of the Economic Planning Unit, said he will instruct the Public-Private Partnership Unit (Ukas) to vet all applying for government projects for links to Bersih.

Today he said the government is also looking at blacklisting lawfirms who assist Bersih from providing services to the state and government-linked companies.