Bersih launches 'Voter Supremacy' campaign with 6 demands ahead of GE15
The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) has launched a campaign for voters empowerment ahead of the next general election, which is expected to be held after July next year.
The Ketuanan Pengundi (Voter Supremacy) campaign listed six demands for reforms, including an end to voter suppression and party-hopping, strengthening rights for public dissent, as well as the parliamentary, judiciary, and local democracy reforms.
“People and voters are...
The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) has launched a campaign for voters empowerment ahead of the next general election, which is expected to be held after July next year.
The Ketuanan Pengundi (Voter Supremacy) campaign listed six demands for reforms, including an end to voter suppression and party-hopping, strengthening rights for public dissent, as well as the parliamentary, judiciary, and local democracy reforms.
“People and voters are sick and tired of all the politickings. Now is the time for people to assert their supremacy in a parliamentary democracy so the elected representatives can start working for us again,” Bersih 2.0 chairperson Thomas Fann (above) said at the campaign’s virtual launch via Zoom today.
The group was pleased that several of their demands are part of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s government and Pakatan Harapan on Monday.
“We will closely monitor their fulfilment,” the group said in a statement afterwards.
Among the demands that were also stated in the MOU are Undi18, automatic voter registration, anti-party hopping laws, restoration of the Parliament Service Act, and amendments of standing orders in Parliament.
Below is a full list of demands by Bersih 2.0:
1. Don’t suppress our votes - reform of Election Commission (EC), implement Undi18 and Automatic Voters Registration, expansion of absentee voting to out-of-region voters.
2. Stop party hopping - recall election, equal Constituency Development Fund, and reform of government-linked companies appointments.
3. Make Parliament work - restore Parliament Service Act, create more Parliamentary Special Select Committees, and amend standing orders in Parliament.
4. It’s our right to dissent - freedom of expression, assembly, and association; as well as setting up Independent Police Complaints of Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).
5. No double standards - equality before the law, reform Attorney-General’s Chambers, the MACC, the Inland Revenue Board, key public officer appointments, and ensuring judiciary independence.
6. Give ratepayers a voice - promote local democracy at local councils, participatory budgeting, and greater decentralisation.
The group said it will engage political parties to convince them to commit to the reforms in their election manifestos for GE15.
The government has promised not to dissolve the Parliament before July 31, 2022; hence, GE15 is expected to be held between August 2022 and July 2023, when the current parliamentary term ends.
Bersih 2.0 will run social media campaigns and a nationwide roadshow during the campaign in the coming months, as well as holding competitions to design the campaign’s merchandise facemasks and T-shirts.
“As part of our identification with the six demands, we will be using the hand sign for the number six, to demonstrate our support for the Ketuanan Pengundi demands as well as to show solidarity with those who are mute,” the group added.
To sign the number six, take the thumb and touch the last finger.
Fann said the campaign’s nationwide roadshow is still under planning, and the group hope to kickstart it during Phase 4 of the National Recovery Plan when social gatherings are allowed.
“I would like to see the roadshow go to the furthest part from Klang Valley, and then work our way back towards Kuala Lumpur and surrounding areas.
“And it will definitely include Sabah and Sarawak,” he told reporters.
