Bersih 3.0 rally facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bersih 3.0 rally |
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| Part of Bersih movement | |||
Rallying crowd around the Kuala Lumpur city center
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| Date | 28 April 2012 | ||
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| Goals | To call for free and fair elections in Malaysia | ||
| Status | Concluded | ||
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The Bersih 3.0 rally (also called Sit In rally or Duduk Bantah in Malay) was the largest democratic protest in Malaysia. This rally was organised as a follow-up to the 2011 Bersih rally and the 2007 Bersih rally. The rally, organised by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih), was supported by Pakatan Rakyat, the coalition of the three largest opposition parties in Malaysia along with other small political parties like Parti Sosialis Malaysia and social organisations such as Malaysian Trades Union Congress, Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) and Malaysian Bar. In addition, Bersih 3.0 was endorsed by 84 NGOs. In particular, it was joined by Himpunan Hijau (Green Assembly), a civil movement protesting the Lynas rare earth project in Malaysia. In addition to the main rally at Kuala Lumpur, smaller rallies were held in 10 other cities in Malaysia, as well as in 34 other countries. Following the last rally in 2011, the government of Malaysia organised a Public Select Committee (PSC) to look into electoral reforms in Malaysia, which released their proposals in April 2012. Seven of the eight demands by the Bersih have been included in the 22 recommendations submitted by the PSC. PSC Committee member P. Kamalanathan said only one demand by Bersih, on a minimum 21 days campaign period, was not included because it was not suitable to be implemented in Sabah and Sarawak. However, the matter was still being considered, where the current campaign period of seven days had been extended to 10 days. Bersih claimed that PSC proposals were half-hearted and accused the Election Commission of Malaysia (EC) of being insincere in introducing electoral reforms. Bersih has stated that they would call off the rally if the Malaysian government gave a guarantee that electoral reforms take place before the next Malaysian general elections.
Background
Bersih
Bersih, short for the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Malay: Gabungan Pilihanraya Bersih dan Adil), is a coalition of 62 non-governmental organisations founded in November 2006. Since its founding, Bersih has been supported by the three main opposition parties, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), PAS, and DAP. Bersih is the Malay word for "clean."
Bersih, is chaired by former Bar Council president Ambiga Sreenevasan. Ambiga served as president of the Bar from 2007 to 2009 and is a recipient of the US State Department's International Women of Courage Awards.
The first Bersih rally on 10 November 2007 was estimated to have drawn between 30,000 and 50,000 people. It was broken up by police using tear gas and chemical-laced water cannons. The rally was said to play a major role in helping the opposition parties make big gains in the 2008 general election. The second rally on 9 July 2011 was met with similar force by the police after they tried to make their way to the Merdeka Stadium.
Bersih's demands
The Bersih's immediate demands were:
- Clean the electoral roll
- Reform postal voting
- Use of indelible ink
- A minimum campaign period of 21 days
- Free and fair access to mainstream media
- Strengthen public institutions
- Stop corruption
- Stop dirty politics
Public select committee
The Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on Electoral Reforms was formed in the aftermath of the 2011 Bersih rally. The committee, consisting of five Barisan Nasional MPs, three Pakatan Rakyat MPs and one Independent MP, came up with 22 recommendations for reforming the electoral system in Malaysia. However an opposition minority report was rejected by the parliament speaker without further debate.
Lead up to the rally
Announcement
Early in April 2012, the Public Select Committee released a report of their findings on electoral reform. The speaker in the Dewan Rakyat, or House of Representatives, passed the report with no debate between the opposition and ruling parties. An opposition minority report was not included in the final report. So far none of Bersih's demands have been met, and with indications that the Malaysian Government would be calling a general election without any electoral reforms, Bersih announced a third rally for clean and fair elections for 28 April 2012.
Non-government organisations
Bersih has been backed by the Bar Council of Malaysia and Suhakam The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) supports the Bersih's right for a peaceful assembly. Bersih 3.0 was also backed by Pertubuhan IKRAM Malaysia (IKRAM), an Islamic missionary NGO.
Government reaction
Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein stated that the government over-reacted in its response to the Bersih rally in 2011. Hishammuddin has said that the government does not view the Bersih 3.0 rally as a security threat. He offered two alternative venues to that of Dataran Merdeka, Bukit Jalil National Stadium and Stadium Merdeka, but these were rejected by Bersih.
Information, Communications and Culture Minister Rais Yatim has described the Bersih ("clean") rally as "dirty", saying they do not respect the laws of the country.
After several meetings between Bersih and DBKL, no compromise was made regarding the choice of venue for the rally. DBKL erected barricades to prevent the sit-in rally by Bersih.
Court orders
The Malaysian High Court instructed the Hishammuddin to clarify whether Bersih is a banned organisation, especially since his recent statements were inconsistent regarding the organisation.
The Malaysian police received an order from Kuala Lumpur Magistrate Court barring any entry by Bersih into Dataran Merdeka and any rally gathering there would be considered illegal.
Further revelations
During the lead up to the rally, it was revealed by PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail in a Malay daily, that the Election Commission (EC) chairman and deputy chairman were UMNO members, leading to claims of conflict of interest. The United Malays National Organisation (abbreviated as UMNO), is Malaysia's largest political party. Bersih stated they would give the two men the benefit of the doubt until more information surfaced.
Saifuddin alleged that EC chairman, Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof is a member of Bunga Daisy UMNO branch under the Putrajaya division and his deputy, Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar is a member of Kubang Bunggor UMNO branch under the Pasir Mas Kelantan Division. Wan Ahmad denied the allegations and in slamming the PKR secretary-general for the "big lie", he wanted the former to apologise for slandering him. In response to the demand to step down by the opposition, EC chairman said under the Constitution, the chairman and the deputy were appointed by the King, in line with advice from the Malay rulers. The EC Chairman stated that this was a sign of disrespect by the opposition of the royal institution.
It turned out later that the Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof with the details as alleged by Saifuddin is a driver at the Prime Minister's Office whose name similar to the EC chairman. Then, a pensioner who runs a food stall in Kelantan, Wan Ahmad Wan Omar came forward denying the allegation and said Saifuddin had mistaken him for the EC deputy chairman. Both NRIC and Umno membership number as revealed by Saifuddin are actually belong to him. UMNO Head Office also confirmed that both Tan Sri Abd Aziz and Datuk Wan Ahmad are not UMNO members.
Protest
Despite the police roadblocks, the organiser claimed up to 300,000 people turned up for the Bersih rally in and around Kuala Lumpur city centre. Close to 58 roads leading into the city were blocked by the police. Protestors gathered at several points in the city such as Masjid Negara, Masjid India, Pasar Seni, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), Brickfields and Jalan Sultan before proceeding to Dataran Merdeka.
Police began using tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protestors therefore they began breaching the barricades. A police car was overturned to rescue someone trapped under the car after it ran into the crowd, injuring two protesters. The policeman who was driving crashed the car purposely because he was trying to arrest protesters. Other protesters later protected the police officer from retaliation. Some protesters are beaten by over a dozen police which kicked and punched or surrounded the latter. There are protesters which are beaten by sticks and even beaten even though they are being carried to the detention center without retaliation. When near the press, the police stopped all their harassments.
A total of 512 people were arrested for various offences in the rally, far less than the 1,667 detained in the Bersih 2.0 rally the previous year.
909 tear gas canisters and 58 tear gas grenades were used by the police against the protesters in the rally.
Social media were used not only to organise the rally, but to spread the mission of Bersih 3.0.
Other Malaysian cities
Simultaneous Bersih rallies were held in other cities throughout Malaysia such as Kota Kinabalu, Sabah; Kuching, Sarawak; Kuantan, Penang, Pahang; Ipoh, Perak; Miri, Sarawak; Malacca and Johor Bahru, Johor.
Overseas rallies
In total there were rallies held in 35 countries and 85 cities around the world.
Large rallies were held in cities in Australia such as Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth. Rallies in Singapore, Thailand and other Asian countries were also large.
Rallies were organised in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, China, Taiwan (Taipei and Tainan), United States, Canada, Russia and various countries in Europe, including the United Kingdom; one of the largest of which was held in London, with smaller rallies being organised in Manchester, Nottingham, Newcastle, and Edinburgh.
Aftermath
Statements of Malaysian Prime Minister
The Prime Minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak, gave remarks in the aftermath of the rally. Najib claimed that Bersih activists merely wanted to paint a negative image of the Government to the world and confront the police so that they could throw allegations of police brutality to the public. Najib also claimed that the organizers are not concerned about fair and clean elections, that the rally was politically motivated, and that it was conducted by supporters of Pakatan Rakyat in an attempt to take over Putrajaya.
International observers
International observers have described the Bersih rally as 'peaceful', 'festive' and 'exemplary'.
In the aftermath of the protests, analysts said premier Najib Razak's reform credentials had been dented, forcing him to push back elections.
See also
- List of protests in the 21st century
