KUALA LUMPUR – Bersih has poured cold water on Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar’s views that street protests are ineffective and irresponsible, reminding His Majesty of how such demonstrations have played a key part in Malaysia’s history.
The electoral watchdog, in a statement today, said Malaysia was born out of a protest movement, and that without it, the country would not have existed today.
This comes after the Johor sultan referred street protests, including “Bersih riots”, to a black mark, and said they are proven to have not achieved anything other than causing chaos and destruction.
“Bersih respectfully disagrees, and we would like to point out that protests are legitimate means of political expression and are formative to our country’s history.
“Arguably, one can say that this country was born out of a protest movement. (Umno founder) Datuk Onn Jaafar rallied the masses to object against the Malayan Union, which was unilaterally imposed by the British after World War II.
“This paved the way to the formation of the Federation of Malaya, the precursor to our eventual independence from the British in 1957 and the formation of Malaysia in 1963.”
Bersih said that as the country is a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy, Malaysians ought to welcome and recognise any expression and participation by the rakyat for the common good of the country.
“Without protests, there would have been no Malaysia.”
In a Facebook post yesterday, Sultan Ibrahim had said that there were other constructive methods to finding solutions as opposed to demonstrations, citing the deadly May 13, 1969 riots.
He warned that such street protests would adversely affect the economy, turn away investors, and push the country back in terms of its Covid-19 pandemic recovery efforts.
He was responding to a statement by DAP central executive committee member Sheikh Umar Bagharib Ali, who urged the public in Kuala Lumpur to take to the streets to air their frustrations over the rising costs of living.
‘Who knows what would have happened to M’sia’
Bersih, however, said the freedom to protest without violence is enshrined in the supreme laws of the land and has proven to shape Malaysia’s destiny and bring pressure to bear on unjust laws and corrupt authorities.
From Demonstrasi Baling in 1974 to the Reformasi movement that started in 1998 and the recent Walk for Judicial Independence, it noted how the public has resorted to protests to express their solidarity and grievances.
Bersih said that since its formation in 2006, it has carried on this spirit to highlight electoral malpractices and shortcomings, resulting in among others, the introduction of indelible ink and improvements to the conduct of elections.
It added that its recent rallies in 2015 and 2016, meanwhile, came about due to the 1Malaysia Development Bhd financial scandal, to provide a platform to the rakyat to demand for institutional changes to end the scourge of corruption and for the culprits to face the law.
The electoral reform group went on to say that if there had been any disorderly conduct throughout their organisation of peaceful protests, they were usually caused by the aggressive actions by the police.
“If the rakyat had not had the opportunity to express their anger towards electoral injustices and grand-scale corruption in a peaceful manner, who knows what would have happened to our country?
“The kleptocrat and his accomplices could have continued to plunder this country and not be charged for the crimes they have committed. Surely Your Majesty would not condone such a tragedy, had the rakyat not been mobilised.
“Bersih invites Your Majesty to join us in not only respecting but celebrating the rakyat’s fundamental rights to freedom of speech, expression, form associations and hold peaceful protests.” – The Vibes, June 25, 2022
