Ambiga clarifies meeting with Pak Lah
(The Malaysian Insider) – Bersih 2.0 chief Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan clarified today she was advised to act according to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s wishes over last Saturday’s rally and declined to comment further on the private conversation she had with former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
Ambiga also told a news conference today that the ex-PM had only urged her to heed the King’s unprecedented advice when she and Abdullah met last week prior to the Bersih 2.0 rally.
“Yes, [Abdullah] Badawi did ask us to abide by the ‘titah’ of the King. That’s all, I don’t want to breach the confidentiality,” she said, and declined to speak further on the subject.
Earlier today, Abdullah told reporters he had arranged a meeting with Ambiga (picture) to “remind” her to abide by the King’s advice to find alternatives instead of having the rally on the streets of the city.
“I told her that she should abide by what was impressed upon (by the King), that we should not have the rally,” said the nation’s prime minister from October 2003 to March 2009.
In an unprecedented move a week before last Saturday’s rally, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin stepped in to defuse tension by advising the Najib administration and Bersih 2.0 to hold consultations over the issue of free and fair elections.
In the statement issued by Istana Negara on July 3, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin said he was following closely the developments of the proposed assemblies by Bersih 2.0 and how the federal government and its agencies were handling the matter.
“The fact is, street demonstrations bring more bad than good although the original intention is good. Instead, we should focus on our main objective to develop this country, and not create problems that will cause the country to lag behind,” the King said.
“I also urge the government to carry out everything that is entrusted to it by the people in a just and wise manner, and it is important that I as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong do not want to see this country with a plural society in a situation where there is animosity among them or a section of the people being enemies with the government, on whatever grounds,” he added.
Tuanku Mizan also reminded the public, in his open statement, that moderation and compromise remain an important practice in the nation’s administration.
After meeting with the King, Bersih 2.0 pledged to cancel the rally and have the event in a stadium, as previously suggested by Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
The prime minister, however, reneged on his offer, resulting in tens of thousands of Bersih supporters thronging the city capital last Saturday for a street demonstration which went ahead without police permission, resulting in nearly 1,700 arrests, scores injured and the death of a PKR leader’s husband.
