Rally a success, now to lobby MPs to vote against Najib, says Bersih
BY JENNIFER GOMEZ
Published: 31 August 2015 3:44 PM | Updated: 31 August 2015 7:30 PM
Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah (centre, sitting) with other committee members. She hopes that when Parliament convenes in October, MPs will be able to pass a vote of no-confidence against the prime minister. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Afif Abd Halim, August 31, 2015.Half a million people attended the overnight Bersih 4 street rally in Kuala Lumpur over the weekend, the event organiser said, adding that their next target is to push for the general election to be held within the next 12 to 18 months.
Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah said when Parliament convenes in October, the hope is that there would be enough MPs to pass a vote of no-confidence against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
"So, we have to work hard to lobby MPs to do that.”
Maria also said that 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 told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur today.
Maria also said that donations to Bersih 4 had hit RM2.45 million.
"We have repeatedly asked the people during the peaceful assembly to speak directly with their MPs to move a vote of no-confidence against the prime minister, and this must go on. That’s a promise from Bersih 2," Maria said.
She added that in the event Najib resigns, the electoral watchdog proposed that a transitional government be set up to bring about core institutional reforms, such as clean up the electoral roll, look into the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and to call for fresh elections within 12 to 18 months.
"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."
When asked about Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's presence at Bersih 4, Maria said she hoped that he had “learnt his lesson” given that the former prime minister had been vehemently against street protests in the past.
"It's positive, I know he does not support our demands all the way.
"But people power has always been with us, it was not coined by Tun Mahathir nor (Tun Dr) Siti Hasmah (Mohd Ali).”
She also thanked the churches, temples and imams who led the daily prayers among the rally goers.
Maria also thanked the police for doing their “minimum”, adding that they could have done more by managing traffic and crowd control.
She said, however, their own security team managed to handle these matters to ensure a peaceful rally.
"Our heartiest thanks to city dwellers, traders, restaurants and shops who gave free food, water and use of their restrooms and generously donated for the cause."
Maria said 4,000 participated in the rally in Sabah while 5,000 turned up in Sarawak. – August 31, 2015.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/rally-a-success-now-to-lobby-mps-to-vote-against-najib-says-bersih#sthash.1jdApK9N.dpuf
