BERSIH Rally – Letter to International Organisations to make representations to Malaysian Government

By P. Waytha Moorthy (Chair, HINDRAF)

Urgent Request to make Representations to the Government of Malaysia on the possible violence by PERKASA, UMNO sponsored NGOs on Human Rights Advocates and the general public on the BERSIH 2.0 public rally for free and fair election in Malaysia on 9th July 2011.

I write to you with the utmost urgency for your attention on the above matter. 

BERSIH is a coalition of NGOs that advocate free and fair elections and intend to march peacefully with the public in Malaysia on July 9, 2011 in line with the fundamental rights contained in the Malaysian Federal constitution under Article 10. The purpose of the march is to express the collective desire of the Malaysian people for a free and fair election in the forthcoming General Election.

PERKASA is a Malaysian NGO and is a tool used by the UMNO-led Malaysian government in extending its ugly hands into politically extreme policies topped up by fear inducing methods to ensure that whatever is sacred in the Federal Constitution for the good of the multi-ethnic polity is compromised through this fear and state-sanctioned threats from a seemingly independent organisation – PERKASA.

Malaysiakini, one of the few independent online news portals, reported on June 19^th 2011 quoting PERKASA as saying,  “Imagine, ladies and gentlemen, if the Bersih rally is not called off and they go ahead with it – if they don’t cancel it on July 8 or 9 – I believe the Chinese community, many of them, will have to stock up on food at home. “Anything can happen on that day”

On 13^th of June 2011 Malaysiakini quoted PERKASA chief as saying they are ready to “fight to the end” (lawan habis-habisan) to stop the rally if the organisers insist on taking to the streets of Kuala Lumpur on July 9. “(If they proceed) there will be a clash (pertembungan). If that happens, it is for the better,” he told a press conference in the Parliament lobby.

The insinuations above falls short of an orchestrated attempt to riot or to promote some form of violent action by UMNO sponsored PERKASA against the public for their participating in this peaceful march on July 9, 2011 just for free and fair elections.   

The fear of the Malaysian community is real and should not be underestimated or downplayed at this crucial moment as state sponsored gangsters PERKASA and its allies PEKIDA (another organization of ex-police and army personnel) and 3 Line (a known large street gang) blatantly came forward in this aggressive and belligerent manner against what is a natural and legitimate grievance of the people. This march is nothing other than an expression of a collective voice of Malaysians.  

The international community whilst accepting Malaysia as a member of the United Nations cannot sit in silence when such threats and fear mongering methods are pursued by fascist elements in the ruling party with the implicit sanction of the UMNO-led government.

Your public statement in opposing this tendency of state sponsored violence against its people is of paramount significance as it is a fundamental human rights issue and not just political theatre. The minorities, marginalized and discriminated face these kinds of human rights abuses daily through the racist and fascist agenda of the Malaysian government..    

I write to urge you to make urgent representations to the Malaysian government that the BERSIH rally should be allowed to proceed unhindered and the peaceful protesters be provided protection from any untoward violent reactions by the state sponsored PERKASA, PEKIDA and other fringe elements.

Rt.Hon.  William Hague MP
Foreign Secretary
Foreign & Commonwealth Office,
King Charles Street,
London.
SW1A 2AH

Ms Heidi Hautala
Chair of the Human Rights Sub Committee
European Parliament
Rue Wiertz
Wiertzstraat
B-1047 Brussels

Richard Ottaway MP
House of Commons
Foreign Affairs Committee
4 Millbank
City of London SW1P 3JA

Ms Navanethem Pillay
High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) 
Palais Wilson 
52 rue des Pâquis 
CH-1201 Geneva, Switzerland
+41 22 917 9656      
[email protected]

Mr. Githu Muigai
Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance
Palais des Nations
CH-1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland 
Fax: +41 22 917 9006
Email: [email protected]

Mrs. Margaret Sekaggya
Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Palais des Nations
CH-1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland 
Fax: +41 22 917 9006
Email: [email protected]

Gay McDougall
Independent Expert on Minority Issues
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Palais des Nations
CH-1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland
Fax: + 41 22 917 9006

Mr. Frank La Rue
Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
Palais des Nations
CH-1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland
Fax: +41 22 917 9006
Email: [email protected] 

Gabriella Habtom
Human Rights Officer and Secretary of the Committee
on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination 
Human Rights Treaties Division
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Tel.  +41.22.917.9193       – Fax +41.22.917.90.08
e-mail: [email protected] / [email protected] 
Palais Wilson – 52, rue des Pâquis, CH-1201,
Geneva, Switzerland

Frank William La Rue
Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
UNOG-OHCHR 
CH-1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland
Tel:  +41 22 917 93 32       
Fax: +41 22 917 90 22

Amnesty International
1 Easton Street
London
WC1X 0DW, UK
Telephone: +44-20-74135500     
Fax number: +44-20-79561157
Email: [email protected]

Human Rights Watch
Address: 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor
New York, NY 10118-3299 USA
Tel:             +1-212-290-4700      
Fax: +1-212-736-1300
email: [email protected]

Minority Rights Group International
54 Commercial Street
London E1 6LT, UK
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7422 4200      
Fax: +44 (0)20 7422 4201
Email: [email protected]

Front Line –
The International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders 
Head Office, Second Floor, Grattan House 
Temple Road, Blackrock 
Co Dublin, Ireland 
Tel: +353 (0)1 212 3750        
Fax: +353 (0)1 212 1001 
E-mail: [email protected]

OSCE Secretariat
Wallnerstrasse 6
1010 Vienna
Austria
Tel: +43 1 514 36 6000      
Fax: +43 1 514 36 6996
E-mail: [email protected]

NAACP
Washington Bureau
1156 15th Street, NW Suite 915
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: (202) 463-2940      
Fax: (202) 463-2953
Email: [email protected]

European Union External Action Service
Menara Tan & Tan, Suite 10.01  
207 Jalan Tun Razak 
50400 Kuala Lumpur 
Malaysia 
Tel.: +6 03 2723 7373       
Fax: +6 03 2723 7337
E-mail: [email protected]

US Embassy Malaysia
Mr Brian D. McFeeters – Political Counselor
376 Jalan Tun Razak
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 
Tel No:               (03) 2168-4946      ,
Fax  No : (03) 2168-5165,
Email : [email protected]

Rainbow Push Coalition
National Headquarters
930 East 50th Street
Chicago, IL 60615
Phone: 773-373-3366     
Fax: 773-373-3571
Email : [email protected]

National Action Network
House of Justice
106 West, 145^th Street,
Harlem ,NY 10039
Tel No: (212) 690 3070     
Fax No ( 877)-  626  4651
Email : [email protected]