Malaysian opposition rallies for change
By Baradan Kuppusamy
KUALA LUMPUR - A mammoth opposition rally planned for next week
threatens to expose examples of vote-buying, gerrymandering,
fraudulent electoral rolls and blatant use of public resources to
win votes in Malaysian elections, unless the government is able to
stop it.
Organized by BERSIH, a coalition of four main opposition political
parties and 67 civil rights non-governmental organizations (NGOs),
the rally is the first concerted effort to change the election
rules ahead of the country's 12th general election, widely expected
to be held by March.
The government is dead set on stopping the rally, which could be
the biggest since Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi came to power in
2003. The premier rode a wave of popular adulation that has since
soured by his failure to fight corruption and promote the rule of
law.
The police have issued a warning, citing a pre-colonial era law
that bars gatherings of more than five people that the rally is
banned and anybody who turns up at independence square in the
capital risks being arrested.
"Despite the concerted threats we expect over 10,000 people to turn
up," said Sivarasah Rasiah, a key organizer and vice president of
the opposition National Peoples Party. "The threats are not going
to force us to back down," he said. "It is our democratic right to
gather peacefully to show our unhappiness with the tainted
system."
The challenge to the electoral system is all the more significant
as the rally and march are led by the country's three top
opposition leaders. At the head of the protest is opposition icon
Anwar Ibrahim, who will lead the gathering from independence square
to the king's palace about five kilometers away to submit a
memorandum demanding electoral reforms.
Other leaders expected to join the protest are Ibrahim are Lim Kit
Siang, leader of the pro-Chinese Democratic Action Party, and
Abdullah Hadi Awang, president of the fundamentalist Pan Malaysian
Islamic Party or PAS. "We are united in our resolve to bring
changes to the election rules," said Anwar Ibrahim at a recent
rally outside the city. "The people have suffered long enough.
Let's have a fair and free election so that voters can choose the
government of their choice."
BERSIH says, besides the outdated election laws, a cleanup of the
electoral list is urgently needed to remove so-called phantom
voters and that the Election Commission must be made truly
independent. BERSIH is demanding four immediate changes: permanent
use of indelible ink to prevent repeated voting, a clean up of
electoral rolls to eliminate phantom voters, abolition of postal
voting frequently abused by the government and equal access for all
political parties to make use of state-controlled media.
"Only when elections are clean and fair can citizens be real
masters of their own destiny and expect holders of public office to
act accountably and effectively," said Faizal Mustaffa,
co-coordinator of BERSIH. To add pressure on the government, BERSIH
supporters and representatives will organize similar protests
outside Malaysian embassies in many countries, including South
Korea, Indonesia, United Kingdom, United States and Thailand.
"We hope the government will be sufficiently persuaded by the
international condemnation arising out of the coordinated protest
to at least initiate some reform of the electoral system," Rasiah
said. Although BERSIH officials have repeatedly said that they are
eager to ensure the rally is peaceful and problem-free, there is
concern that such a huge event could turn ugly.
In a recent statement, the country's Human Rights Commission
reiterated that freedom of peaceful assembly is an important right
that is enshrined in the Federal Constitution and the United
Nations Declaration of Human Rights. But it also voiced fears and
urged organizers to follow all relevant rules and laws.
While many Malaysians are supportive of BERSIH's campaign for
electoral reforms, some are unhappy with its decision to turn to
the king for help in advancing democracy. The country's small Parti
Sosialis Malaysia (Socialist Party of Malaysia) is noticeably not
involved with other major opposition political parties in the
BERSIH-led campaign.
"The king has no power to improve conditions of democracy and
justice because his duties are mostly ceremonial," said a veteran
retired newspaper editor explaining the reluctance of some people
to associate with the monarchy. "Historically the monarchy has been
hostile to democratic freedom and people's power," he told Inter
Press Service. "Turning to the feeble monarchy for direction to
make fundamental changes in society appears illogical and cannot be
justified."
"We should rely on mobilizing people at grassroots level to push
for changes from bottom-up," he said. "Top-down changes rarely hold
for long." Whatever the case, BERSIH supporters say their campaign
is for the long term and that the November 10 rally will be just
one in a long series of protests that will go beyond the upcoming
general election.
"Our campaign is for the long term and our demand is for
fundamental changes in the election system in line with changes
taking place in other countries," said Yap Swee Seng, executive
director of SUARAM, a leading rights NGO. Among areas BERSIH says
fundamental changes are needed is the first-past-the-post system
that leads to disproportionate representation.
"We also want a system where minorities, indigenous peoples, women
and others have a role and a voice that could be heard," Yap said.
"Parliament should be truly representative and not dominated by one
ruling group. The system has to be re-engineered to fit the needs
of all sections of the people."
Another BERSIH demand is for the government to reintroduce local
council elections, which were abolished in 1970 on grounds of
"national security". BERSIH also wants the election commission to
be restructured to ensure it is truly independent and finally
permit international observers to monitor the election and suggest
changes.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/IK08Ae01.html