Malaysian opposition rallies for
change By Baradan Kuppusamy
KUALA LUMPUR - A mammoth opposition rally
planned for next week threatens to expose examples
of vote-buying, gerrymandering, fraudulent
electoral rolls and blatant use of public
resources to win votes in Malaysian elections,
unless the government is able to stop it.
Organized by BERSIH, a coalition of four
main opposition political parties and 67 civil
rights non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the
rally is the first concerted effort to change the
election rules
ahead of the country's 12th
general election, widely expected to be held by
March.
The government is dead set on
stopping the rally, which could be the biggest
since Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi came to power
in 2003. The premier rode a wave of popular
adulation that has since soured by his failure to
fight corruption and promote the rule of law.
The police have issued a warning, citing a
pre-colonial era law that bars gatherings of more
than five people that the rally is banned and
anybody who turns up at independence square in the
capital risks being arrested.
"Despite the
concerted threats we expect over 10,000 people to
turn up," said Sivarasah Rasiah, a key organizer
and vice president of the opposition National
Peoples Party. "The threats are not going to force
us to back down," he said. "It is our democratic
right to gather peacefully to show our unhappiness
with the tainted system."
The challenge to
the electoral system is all the more significant
as the rally and march are led by the country's
three top opposition leaders. At the head of the
protest is opposition icon Anwar Ibrahim, who will
lead the gathering from independence square to the
king's palace about five kilometers away to submit
a memorandum demanding electoral reforms.
Other leaders expected to join the protest
are Ibrahim are Lim Kit Siang, leader of the
pro-Chinese Democratic Action Party, and Abdullah
Hadi Awang, president of the fundamentalist Pan
Malaysian Islamic Party or PAS. "We are united in
our resolve to bring changes to the election
rules," said Anwar Ibrahim at a recent rally
outside the city. "The people have suffered long
enough. Let's have a fair and free election so
that voters can choose the government of their
choice."
BERSIH says, besides the outdated
election laws, a cleanup of the electoral list is
urgently needed to remove so-called phantom voters
and that the Election Commission must be made
truly independent. BERSIH is demanding four
immediate changes: permanent use of indelible ink
to prevent repeated voting, a clean up of
electoral rolls to eliminate phantom voters,
abolition of postal voting frequently abused by
the government and equal access for all political
parties to make use of state-controlled media.
"Only when elections are clean and fair
can citizens be real masters of their own destiny
and expect holders of public office to act
accountably and effectively," said Faizal
Mustaffa, co-coordinator of BERSIH. To add
pressure on the government, BERSIH supporters and
representatives will organize similar protests
outside Malaysian embassies in many countries,
including South Korea, Indonesia, United Kingdom,
United States and Thailand.
"We hope the
government will be sufficiently persuaded by the
international condemnation arising out of the
coordinated protest to at least initiate some
reform of the electoral system," Rasiah said.
Although BERSIH officials have repeatedly said
that they are eager to ensure the rally is
peaceful and problem-free, there is concern that
such a huge event could turn ugly.
In a
recent statement, the country's Human Rights
Commission reiterated that freedom of peaceful
assembly is an important right that is enshrined
in the Federal Constitution and the United Nations
Declaration of Human Rights. But it also voiced
fears and urged organizers to follow all relevant
rules and laws.
While many Malaysians are
supportive of BERSIH's campaign for electoral
reforms, some are unhappy with its decision to
turn to the king for help in advancing democracy.
The country's small Parti Sosialis Malaysia
(Socialist Party of Malaysia) is noticeably not
involved with other major opposition political
parties in the BERSIH-led campaign.
"The
king has no power to improve conditions of
democracy and justice because his duties are
mostly ceremonial," said a veteran retired
newspaper editor explaining the reluctance of some
people to associate with the monarchy.
"Historically the monarchy has been hostile to
democratic freedom and people's power," he told
Inter Press Service. "Turning to the feeble
monarchy for direction to make fundamental changes
in society appears illogical and cannot be
justified."
"We should rely on mobilizing
people at grassroots level to push for changes
from bottom-up," he said. "Top-down changes rarely
hold for long." Whatever the case, BERSIH
supporters say their campaign is for the long term
and that the November 10 rally will be just one in
a long series of protests that will go beyond the
upcoming general election.
"Our campaign
is for the long term and our demand is for
fundamental changes in the election system in line
with changes taking place in other countries,"
said Yap Swee Seng, executive director of SUARAM,
a leading rights NGO. Among areas BERSIH says
fundamental changes are needed is the
first-past-the-post system that leads to
disproportionate representation.
"We also
want a system where minorities, indigenous
peoples, women and others have a role and a voice
that could be heard," Yap said. "Parliament should
be truly representative and not dominated by one
ruling group. The system has to be re-engineered
to fit the needs of all sections of the people."
Another BERSIH demand is for the
government to reintroduce local council elections,
which were abolished in 1970 on grounds of
"national security". BERSIH also wants the
election commission to be restructured to ensure
it is truly independent and finally permit
international observers to monitor the election
and suggest changes.
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