Politics
Malaysia: Government ban on rally raises tensions
Kuala Lumpur, 9 Nov. (AKI) – Malaysia opposition parties and rights organisations have said that they plan to defy a government ban on a rally calling for free elections to be held in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, on Saturday.
Malaysian authorities have denied permission to hold the rally saying that it would "jeopardise public order" and they have vowed to arrest anyone who turns up.
Gayathry Venkiteswaran, Executive Director of the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) – one of the organisations that will take in part in the rally - told Adnkronos International (AKI) that parts of the city have already been blocked.
“Also, cars and buses from out-of-town are being checked to see if they carry supporters heading for the march,” she said.
The CIJ is one of the approximately 70 non-governmental organizations and opposition political parties gathered under the umbrella of the ‘Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections’ or simply Bersih [Clean]. Bersih’s aim is to push for new rules for the next general election.
Saturday’s march is aimed at delivering a memorandum to the king, demanding a change in the electoral law. The march will be led by the de facto opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim.
However, the government said Bersih is not a registered body, that the local authorities have not approved the use of the Merdeka [Independence] Square in the centre of Kuala Lupur for the march and that such a gathering would cause inconvenience for motorists and could affect public order.
Brad Adams, the Asia director at Human Rights Watch, called these justifications for the ban “nonsensical”.
“The grounds for refusing the rally are nonsense,” he said in a statement on Friday.
“If Malaysia wants to count itself a democracy, it can begin by upholding constitutional guarantees of free speech and assembly. The way the system works now, only the ruling coalition can get its messages out,” he said.
The opposition’s strong stance comes as Malaysia's prime minister Abdullah Badawi urged the dominant UMNO party to close ranks and prepare for early polls. Although not mandated before May 2009, they are expected to take place early in 2008.
The organisers of the rally say that Malaysia’s parliamentary elections are characterised by vote buying, the use of public resources by the ruling parties, and gerrymandering. The Election Commission has also been accused of bias.
Bersih has asked for indelible ink be used to prevent voters from casting more than one vote, the removal of alleged phantom voters from the electoral rolls, the elimination of the widespread use of absentee ballots by government workers, and access to state-controlled media for all political parties.
To date, the Election Commission has only agreed to the use of indelible ink.
Malaysian authorities have denied permission to hold the rally saying that it would "jeopardise public order" and they have vowed to arrest anyone who turns up.
Gayathry Venkiteswaran, Executive Director of the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) – one of the organisations that will take in part in the rally - told Adnkronos International (AKI) that parts of the city have already been blocked.
“Also, cars and buses from out-of-town are being checked to see if they carry supporters heading for the march,” she said.
The CIJ is one of the approximately 70 non-governmental organizations and opposition political parties gathered under the umbrella of the ‘Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections’ or simply Bersih [Clean]. Bersih’s aim is to push for new rules for the next general election.
Saturday’s march is aimed at delivering a memorandum to the king, demanding a change in the electoral law. The march will be led by the de facto opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim.
However, the government said Bersih is not a registered body, that the local authorities have not approved the use of the Merdeka [Independence] Square in the centre of Kuala Lupur for the march and that such a gathering would cause inconvenience for motorists and could affect public order.
Brad Adams, the Asia director at Human Rights Watch, called these justifications for the ban “nonsensical”.
“The grounds for refusing the rally are nonsense,” he said in a statement on Friday.
“If Malaysia wants to count itself a democracy, it can begin by upholding constitutional guarantees of free speech and assembly. The way the system works now, only the ruling coalition can get its messages out,” he said.
The opposition’s strong stance comes as Malaysia's prime minister Abdullah Badawi urged the dominant UMNO party to close ranks and prepare for early polls. Although not mandated before May 2009, they are expected to take place early in 2008.
The organisers of the rally say that Malaysia’s parliamentary elections are characterised by vote buying, the use of public resources by the ruling parties, and gerrymandering. The Election Commission has also been accused of bias.
Bersih has asked for indelible ink be used to prevent voters from casting more than one vote, the removal of alleged phantom voters from the electoral rolls, the elimination of the widespread use of absentee ballots by government workers, and access to state-controlled media for all political parties.
To date, the Election Commission has only agreed to the use of indelible ink.
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