‘Stop harassing Ambiga, Bersih leaders’
WargaAman also wants the immigration department and the Home Ministry to reveal the list of NGO leaders who will face similar treatment.
RK Anand, FMT
The authorities must cease harassing Bersih co-chairperson S Ambiga and the electoral watchdog’s steering committee members, demanded a coalition of NGOs.
WargaAman secretary-general S Barathidasan also called on the Home Ministry and Immigration Department to reveal the names on their “to be stopped for 10 minutes at the airport” list.
“We want to know who are the NGO leaders on this list and the reasons why they are being subjected to such harassment,” he told FMT.
Barathidasan was responding to news reports of how Ambiga was stopped at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport’s auto-gate for 10 minutes without reason before boarding a flight to Australia on Tuesday night.
Previously, several other Bersih steering committee members were also subjected to a similar treatment when travelling abroad.
Barathidasan reminded the authorities that Bersih leaders were not enemies of the state but rather those struggling to uphold democratic principles for the betterment of this nation.
“The movement has made eight demands but only one, the use of indelible ink has been accepted by the Election Commission.
“These demands are not Bersih’s alone but that of the rakyat, the tens of thousands who participated in the rallies and the millions more who were there in spirit,” he said.
Barathidasan said also questioned how immigration officers, with all their sophisticated equipment, let fugitive blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin and private investigator P Balasubramaniam slip out of the country.
“If these officers are so vigilant, then it is beyond me how people like Raja Petra, Balasubramaniam and a host of wanted criminals could board flights without any hassle,” he added.
