PAS on million-man march for Bersih
(The Malaysian Insider) – PAS has ordered all one million of its members to join the Bersih 2.0 rally next month, in what appears to be an attempt by the Islamist party to burnish its credentials with voters ahead of possible snap polls.
“I call on all PAS members supporters to join the Bersih rally on July 9 to demand for clean and fair elections,” PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang was quoted as saying by Harakah Daily today.
He said the rally should be supported by all as Bersih’s electoral reform demands were pure and necessary since elections here are allegedly tainted by fraud.
PAS, infused with new blood after party polls last month returned progressives to the top leadership, is betting heavily on the Bersih 2.0 rally to revive its reputation as a force to be reckoned with.
The party’s reputation for discipline and fielding strong machinery has taken a beating following repeat by-election losses and its poor showing in the Sarawak state election, where it won none of the seats it contested.
While Pakatan Rakyat (PR) partners PKR and the DAP will also be represented at the mammoth rally on July 9, only PAS has openly and repeatedly pledged to bring supporters in the tens of thousands.
The second-largest party in the country after Umno earlier promised to field 100,000 members, with Selangor PAS saying it would contribute about half.
