The Bersih 4 poster promoting this weekend's rally organised by Bersih 2.0. Putrajaya now says the organiser is deemed illegal. – Facebook pic, August 25, 2015.Electoral reforms rally Bersih 4 is an illegal organisation, Putrajaya declared today, advising Malaysians not to attend the overnight protest in three cities across Malaysia this weekend.
Home Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Alwi Ibrahim said the ministry found that Bersih 4 has caused uneasiness and worries among Malaysia's multi-racial citizens.
"The Home Ministry has investigated Bersih 4 and found that it is not a registered organisation.
"As such, the ministry is requesting the public not to attend the gathering on August 29 to 30 as it did not obtain the authorities' approval, and it is organised by the unregistered organisation," he said in a statement today.
The weekend rally is organised by electoral reform group Bersih 2.0, which called it Bersih 4 as it is the fourth such public gathering in Malaysia. The previous gatherings were only in capital city Kuala Lumpur but this weekend's rally will also be held in Kuching and Kota Kinabalu.
Alwi said in the statement that the Bersih 4 organisation had also spread propaganda to incite people in a negative way towards the ruling government by spreading leaflets that can cause harm.
The statement also charged that its various activities have cast a negative image towards the country, adding that it could threaten public order and safety, economic prosperity, national sovereignty and racial harmony.
Bersih 2.0 is a coalition of established NGOs and civil societies, and its previous chairman, former Malaysian Bar president Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan had said the election watchdog does not need to be registered.
“From a legal standpoint, we believe that Bersih 2.0 is a coalition of established organisations, so it does not require registration under the Societies Act,” she had said in July 2011, prior to Bersih 2 march.
This time, Bersih 4 is a 34-hour rally to be held on August 29 to 30 to demand institutional reforms and also the resignation of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah yesterday revealed that they had amassed RM1.5 million in contributions from the public, believed to be more than three times the amount received for the Bersih 3 rally in 2012.
The amount far exceeded their initial budget of RM200,000.
This year's Bersih rally is the first to take place in three years, with the last one having taken place in April 2012 in a call for electoral reforms.
Previous rallies in 2007, 2011 and 2012 drew tens of thousands of Malaysians to the streets.
The 2012 rally ended with scenes of violence as police and protesters clashed, and also saw journalists being roughed up by the police.
Some 80,000 people took part in the 2012 rally, which ended with 60 protesters and 20 policemen injured, and the arrest of 512 people. – August 25, 2015.
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