Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah insisted that the upcoming Bersih 4.0 rally will go on after Kuala Lumpur City police chief Datuk Tajuddin Md Isa reportedly said that the street gathering can’t be allowed.
Earlier this week, after a meeting with Bersih 2.0, Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Amin Noordin told the media at a press conference that attendees of Bersih 4.0 are not allowed to use the square for their overnight rallies as the square will be used for the Merdeka Day preparations.
He said, however, attendees are allowed “to assemble on sidewalks in the vicinity”. Chin also pledged to keep out of the square during the days scheduled for the overnight rally.
Regarding the street gathering, Tajuddin recently told Malay Mail Online over the phone that the rally is not allowed to go on as it did not fulfill the prerequisites for the notice. The policeman stated that it did not get the permission from Dataran Merdeka’s “owner”, which he said was Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).
Tajuddin also stated that the police have already delivered a letter to Bersih 2.0 yesterday to say that the notice to hold the rally was rejected. When informed that DBKL has given permission for the sidewalks, he said, “We will not allow any gathering by Bersih 2.0.”
* Image source: Bersih 2.0’s official Facebook page.
In response to the issue, Chin told Malay Mail Online over the phone that she has yet to be informed about the barring from the police, but is willing to iron things out ahead of the rally.
“They haven’t contacted me. I will wait for them to contact me,” she said. “We will still carry on, but we will talk to the police. We’ve already submitted the form,” she added. She also said she cannot disclose how she’s going to convince the police from interfering with the rally, adding that she will have to first hear their complaints.
The rallies, which will be held in 3 cities, aim to push for Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s resignation plus institutional reforms to prevent prime ministerial corruption. It would begin at 2pm on 29th August and end at 11:59pm on 30th August.
The rallies demand 4 major objectives:
- Clean elections
- Clean governance
- Saving the economy
- Preserving the right to dissent
As the National Independence Day is approaching, Amin suggested the date to be changed and the venue to be moved to Titiwangsa, Stadium Merdeka, and the National Stadium instead. However, Chin pointed out that the rally will go ahead with the planned locations and dates, as they were told by DBKL that Merdeka Square was available before the date for the rally were set.
Source: Malay Mail Online.
