As vice tightens, Anwar says rally the only option
By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider
KLANG, June 29 — Despite the ongoing round of arrests and the threat that violence may hamper Bersih’s rally next week, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim insisted today that the street protest was the only avenue available to push for electoral reforms.
Anwar, leader of the federal opposition and its prime minister-designate, said this was because the opposition had previously exhausted all other available options to no avail.
“That is the whole interest (of Bersih 2.0), to express in this manner because all other avenues have failed. We have sent memos, (held) series of discussions, protest… Everything has been done, submissions with facts and evidence,” he told reporters after speaking at a forum on public service integrity here this morning.
Election watchdog Bersih along with Pakatan Rakyat (PR) component parties are gearing up for a rally this July 9, the second such gathering calling for electoral reforms.
The first rally, also organised by Bersih, was held in 2007 and saw some 50,000 people take to the capital’s streets. The gathering eventually dispersed, however, and resulted in chaos when the police deployed tear gas and water cannons on demonstrators.
The historic event has been partly credited for PR’s record gains in Election 2008, when the opposition pact was swept to power in five states and won 82 parliamentary seats.
