KUALA LUMPUR – The fight to build democracy is far from over in Malaysia, and it will probably never end, said the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) on the 10th anniversary of its historic rally on July 9, 2011.
The coalition of non-governmental organisations focuses on electoral reforms and pushes for better procedural democracy.
Bersih 2.0 in a statement today said it is unsatisfied with the slow pace of reforms in the country.
Its steering committee acknowledged that things have not turned out the way voters had imagined, but stressed that progress is not linear, and cynicism is not a solution.
“We do a disservice to ourselves if we give up on our democracy,” it said in the statement to mark the anniversary.
“We must continue to be vigilant to work on the democracy in Malaysia.
“Let us always remember the moment when thousands of Malaysians sang Negaraku together, and how that made us feel. We will carry this spirit forward, till the fire next time.”
The rally in 2011 was a follow-up to the first Bersih rally in the heart of Kuala Lumpur on November 10, 2007.
Some 50,000 people were said to have peacefully converged in the capital city during Bersih 2.0, with most clad in the movement’s symbolic yellow shirts to highlight their demands.
However, nearly 1,700 individuals were reportedly arrested, as police fired tear gas on the crowd.
Inspired by the main gathering in the capital city, Malaysians overseas also held protests in solidarity at 24 other cities, such as in Australia, Canada, Europe, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, as well as the United Kingdom and United States.
“Many took a great personal risk to participate in the rally – gassed, chased, beaten up, or arrested by police,” said the committee.
“We will never forget people like Allahyarham Baharuddin Ahmad, Aunty Bersih, Pak Samad and many more unsung heroes – some of whom are no longer with us.
“It is in their spirit that we must carry on the work to protect and improve democracy in Malaysia.”
Scope of reform work has expanded
The committee said eight demands were made during the Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9, 2011, namely to clean up the electoral roll; reform postal vote; implement the use of indelible ink; have fair and free access for the media; have a minimum 21-day campaign period; strengthen public institutions; stop corruption; and, end dirty politics.
While not all these demands have been met throughout the years, it said the people should be proud of how far the country has come.
“The 14th general election (GE) has enabled a peaceful transition of power for the first time in the history of Malaysia, followed by the installation of a new election commissioners.
“Since the new team took over, they have improved the processes of conducting elections, started the process of cleaning up the electoral roll, and engaged more with civil society organisations and other stakeholders.
“An Electoral Reform Committee (ERC) was established with a two-year mandate to explore all areas of reform needed to make our electoral system more robust and fair.”
As an electoral watchdog, Bersih 2.0 has expanded its scope of work to include spreading public education, monitoring elections, conducting research for policies and legislation related to elections and democracy, as well as lobbying key legislators and stakeholders to enact meaningful and concrete change.
Unlike before, the movement has now been in multiple public dialogues and engagement with the Election Commission, besides being represented in the ERC to push for electoral reforms.
“On the table is a review of the current first-past-the-post election system, delineation, voter education, voter registration, election management body reform, caretaker government, political financing and all related legal amendments needed.
“Plans are also underway to lower the voting age to 18, releasing a block of another four million voters by GE15, and implement automatic voter registration.” – The Vibes, July 9, 2021
