Dato Serii Hishamudin Tun Husain the Minister of Home Affairs today 6th of July 2011, declared that the Bersih the coalition of fair and free election is still an illegal organization and yellow T shirts are still banned. When the nation was rejoicing with the intervention of His Royal Highness in meeting with the rally organizers, and the mutual acceptance of conducting the rally in a stadium, the Home Minister has disregarded His Majesty’s recognition of Bersih, even though it is an affront to the royalty has vehemently said “No, they are still banned, still illegal. Nobody can be above the law. Just because Tuanku met them, doesn’t mean they are no longer illegal,”
The Deputy Inspector General of Police Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar reinterred that, “despite being allowed to hold a stadium rally this Saturday, protestors found with pro-Bersih 2.0 materials will still be arrested, was because the coalition was still deemed an unlawful organization and any item, whether “songkoks or T-shirts”, is still disallowed. “On clothing or items with Bersih motifs on them, as far as we are concerned, Bersih 2.0 has been gazette as illegal so anything to do with Bersih 2.0 will be wrong, will be disallowed and we will take action,” he told a press conference at the Bukit Aman police headquarters this afternoon. And regarding the arrests of supporters of Bersih he said, “From the beginning, when they were placed under EO, we had strong reasons. Their activities affect public peace and order so any request for their freedom will not be entertained,” and continued with his remark and reminded Bersih to apply for a permit for Saturday’s rally, warning that failure to do so would still make the event an illegal gathering.
Prime Minister DS Najib said today also clarified that his offer to negotiate a suitable venue was on behalf of his administration and not himself personally, talking in tandem with his cousin the Home Minister. Meanwhile the cabinet according to Rais Yattim had decided that the Bersih 2.0 rally could not be held in any Stadiums within Kuala Lumpur, casting aspersions on the earlier statement regarding this. And Ambiga Srenivasan in her statement at the Foreign Correspondent Club today questioned and accused the authorities of “lacking good faith for demanding the group to apply for a permit to hold its planned stadium rally this weekend, which the Prime minister Okayed”
Perkasa the Malay fascist organization leader Ibrahim Ali, the Malay right-wing group was reported to have been turned away by the palace when he attempted to submit his letter this morning to the Yang Di Pertuan Agong. And now an angry Ibrahim Ali’s asking for the arrest of Ambiga under ISA and demanding that he be given a stadium for his pro government rally.
As things are unfolding now, it is a big question whether the rally will be allowed to proceed. The government’s intention has become doubtful with all the contradictory news coming out now. Coupled with this development the joint police and army exercise in ‘crowd controlling in illegal gathering’ is now being carried out, is perceived as another unprecedented ploy to threaten and intimidate the people not to joint any rally. Or is it the government’s pre planned strategy to derail the protest, succumbing to the phobia of street protest which has destabilized and overthrown many governments and the change of government of their immediate neighbor Thailand.
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