Bersih wants supporters freed, RCI on election practices
By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, July 6 — Bersih will demand that Datuk Seri Najib Razak establish a royal commission into election practices and free its arrested supporters, its chief Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan said today.
She also added that Bersih is “horrified” that police are continuing with arrests and charges despite Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin’s call for negotiations between the movement and the government.
“It is only proper that they stand down and the topmost priority is to release all those arrested,” Ambiga told a press conference today.
The former Bar Council president also said that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong “heard us out” on the issues in yesterday’s audience.
“In the spirit of reconciliation, we accepted the offer of a stadium in good faith,” Ambiga (picture) said,
The prime minister said yesterday that he was willing to negotiate on a suitable venue with Bersih for their July 9 rally after the electoral reform movement accepted the government’s offer to allow the gathering to take place in a stadium.
The coalition of 62 NGOs agreed yesterday to move a street protest into a stadium and said today that it wants to hold it in the 50,000-seater Stadium Merdeka.
