ACTIVIST Thomas Fann has attributed his resignation as chairman of Bersih to what he perceives as a vote of no-confidence by the reform group’s endorsing NGOs to his aspiration to elevate Bersih from a people's movement to a “people’s institution”.
Fann had won the seat uncontested for another term in the steering committee polls just ten days ago.
He said he has had time to reflect, and it is clear to him that his leadership and efforts to evolve Bersih into a “people’s institution” were rejected by the majority of the endorsing NGOs of Bersih.
In a letter to the steering committee and endorsing NGOs today, he noted that the five contested positions of deputy chair, treasurer and three committee member posts were won by all four candidates led by Wong Yan Ke, who stood against the team that Fann had put forward.
The exception was the committee member post won by Aira Azhari, who came in third.
“The rejection of my team that was led by Ngeow Chow Ying (outgoing treasurer) by the majority of the NGOs in this actively contested election that saw a record 50 out of 60 endorsing NGOs participating (83.3%), was a clear message to me that my vision and direction for Bersih was rejected. It was a vote of no confidence,” he said.
He accepted the outcome of the election for the 2023-2025 term that most endorsing NGOs want to see Bersih as a people’s movement and rally the masses again.
He said that while organising rallies has been Bersih’s roots as a people’s movement and is one of the fundamental rights as a democracy, it is just one of many channels to advocate for reforms.
In a changed political environment following the 14th general election (GE14) in 2018 which saw Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) being toppled from government, other effective channels of engagement had opened up, he added.
Under his leadership in the past five years, Bersih had utilised those channels effectively and achieved impactful outcomes, he said.
Fann stressed that a people’s movement, by definition, can only thrive if there is a groundswell of support for an idea by a vast number of the population.
“For Bersih in its pre-GE14 years, that idea was regime change, even if it was not necessarily the intention of all the Bersih SC members then,” he said.
“The yearning by a vast segment for regime change was satisfied when BN was defeated and Pakatan Harapan (PH) won in 2018. To many, the mission was accomplished. There was little interest in Bersih post-GE14, even among civil society actors.
“In my view, Bersih’s viability as a people’s movement ended on May 10, 2018, the next day after GE14. It could either ‘close shop’, evolve into a political party (though that opportunity had long passed) or evolve into an advocacy institution to go beyond regime change and focus on changing the system.
“You can only be a people’s movement if there are people behind you. It is normal to lose your momentum or support because most people’s movement don’t last beyond a few years or sometimes even months.”
Fann said he harbours no illusion that Bersih’s past successes as a people’s movement were due to the efforts of the steering committee or the NGOs.
“Rather, it was because of the mass support we received to demand for change during that period,” he said. “We, Bersih, were just a tool of history, doing the right thing at the right season. That season is over and has been for a long time.”
In a note to the press, he stressed that he will remain as chairman for two months to ensure a smooth transition of leadership until his successor is elected, or less than that if the new chairman and the steering committee decide otherwise. “I am committed to this smooth handover,” he said.
“Meanwhile, I will be acting in a caretaker mode, not deciding on any major financial and policy decisions for Bersih,” he said. “That also means I will not be taking any more interviews or answer any questions from the media in the capacity of the chairman or speak for Bersih.” – The Vibes, November 19, 2023
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