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Bersih’s vow to continue reform push dampens Merdeka Day mood

KUALA LUMPUR — After a weekend of anti-government demonstrations, the authorities yesterday took back the streets of Kuala Lumpur, with Prime Minister Najib Razak and his Cabinet ministers gracing a gala national day parade involving 13,000 people.

Prime Minister  Najib Razak still remains under pressure over billions in political donations from the Middle East before the 2013 election. Photo: Reuters

Prime Minister Najib Razak still remains under pressure over billions in political donations from the Middle East before the 2013 election. Photo: Reuters

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KUALA LUMPUR — After a weekend of anti-government demonstrations, the authorities yesterday took back the streets of Kuala Lumpur, with Prime Minister Najib Razak and his Cabinet ministers gracing a gala national day parade involving 13,000 people.

They watched jets whizz by above the landmark Merdeka Square, which was surrounded by tens of thousands of protesters over the weekend.

Participants of the parade, including those from the public and private sectors, security forces and school students, took part in performances around the theme of “#sehatisejiwa” (One Heart, One Soul).

The celebrations, broadcast nationwide, kicked off with a performance by 900 army officers, followed by the recital of patriotic poems.

Malaysian police sealed off the square on the weekend as large crowds of protesters in yellow shirts of the Bersih 2.0 movement — a coalition for clean and fair elections — camped overnight around the square on Saturday, even after the authorities blocked the organiser’s website and banned yellow attire and the group’s logo.

The rally ended peacefully early yesterday morning after protesters ushered in the country’s 58th national day amid tight security.

Despite the conclusion of the rally, its organisers pledged to continue the push for institutional reforms and the resignation of Mr Najib.

Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah said the fight will go on until the Putrajaya institutes key democratic reforms that were part of the group’s demands during the two-day protest.

Ms Maria claimed that half a million people had turned up for the event, which she says is proof of how the majority of Malaysians are supportive of Bersih 2.0’s call for reforms.

Ms Maria said that her next target is to push for elections to be held in the next 12 to 18 months. She expressed hope that there would be enough Members of Parliament (MPs) to pass a vote of no-confidence against Mr Najib.

“So, we have to work hard to lobby MPs to do that,” she said. “This is so that we will be able to fix the system and not just fix the prime minister, because fixing the prime minister alone does not bring the change that we want.”

Mr Najib has been under intense political pressure after The Wall Street Journal alleged in July that RM2.6 billion (S$874 million) was transferred from companies linked to state investment firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) to the Premier’s personal bank accounts before the 2013 general election.

Investigations later found the monies were political donations from the Middle East. If the RM2.6 billion were used in the 2013 campaign, it would mean the ruling coalition spent more than 26 times the allowed amount, as outlined by Malaysian laws.

Ms Maria said yesterday she does not fear being arrested by police, adding that she was “waiting for them”.

“When we organised this rally, we were prepared for anything, but have not heard from them (police). And we have our team of lawyers ready,” she added.

Ms Maria also said that 4,000 and 5,000 people had attended simultaneous Bersih events held in Sabah and Sarawak respectively on the weekend. However, Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed yesterday rubbished claims that half a million had participated in the rally, saying only about 50,000 were present.

Mr Nur Jazlan said it was impossible for more than 50,000 people to converge in the city as well as around the Merdeka Square as “it would have been too crowded to fit everyone”. “

Don’t be duped by (opposition) politicians and activists who are actually politicians,” he said.

The minister also said that the police had been tolerant in allowing the rally to proceed, despite authorities outlawing the event.

“As I have said before, the police are tolerant. We didn’t want the people to suffer because they fell for promises by some politicians,” he said.

Analysts said the rally attracted a largely urban crowd, with a smaller participation of ethnic Malays — who comprise the majority of the support base for Mr Najib’s United Malays National Organisation, which could be the reason why the government allowed it to go on. AGENCIES

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