Some things we need to get right about Bersih 4

Let’s get a few things straight. Because clearly, thinking straight is not something that some people seem particularly capable of doing at this very moment.

Firstly, a peaceful rally cannot topple the government.

Let that sink in for a while.

Done? Good, let’s move on.

Any attempt to occupy a public space is not a threat to the government.

Any attempt to occupy a public space is certainly not a threat to democracy.

Section 124B of the Penal Code that criminalises any attempts to allegedly topple the government makes no mention of any such specific attempt.

Section 124B also makes no mention of camping being a crime, even when done outside Parliament – one of the pillars of the country’s democratic institutions.

There may be legitimate reasons to arrest 16 student activists on Aug 26 but certainly not for being any sort of threat to democracy.

Indeed they are practising one of the core precepts in any democracy – that of expressing dissent.

Once again, moving on.

Not all protesters are activists.

Not all protesters are political party members.

Not all protesters are wannabe leaders.

But we can be assured of the following facts:

The people have a right to peacefully assemble.

The authorities have a duty to facilitate a peaceful assembly.

The elected government and leaders have a responsibility to respond to the people’s demand.

With that out of the way, here are a few more things to consider.

To the Home Ministry, Bersih 4 is not a registered organisation and never will be.

Contrary to claims by Home Ministry secretary-general Alwi Ibrahim, a non-existent organisation cannot trigger unrests, disrupt the peace or threaten public’s safety.

The organisers of this weekend’s rally is Bersih 2.0, supported by civil society groups and political parties.

That’s right. The key word is “supported”.

It is not cool for any political party to hijack the Bersih 4 rally and carelessly add on another demand at the very last minute.

Here’s looking at you PKR and PKR Youth. You are not the organisers.

PKR and its members may still want to “free Anwar” but they can’t claim to speak for everybody else.

Especially not for the ordinary Malaysians who are already wary of such ‘hijacking’ attempts.

They are giving Bersih 4 a bad name.

We are not political tools. The people are not your political tools.

PKR, however, seems to think that it’s okay to tag along and add its own demand to the day’s agenda.

Newsflash. It’s not okay.

It is exactly this sort of attitude that can be used as a weapon to vilify Bersih 2.0 and Bersih 4 participants as nothing more than mere rabble rousers, manipulated for an individual’s personal agenda.

Everyone who has made up their mind to come out this weekend – be it to camp for 34 hours or otherwise – will each have their own personal reason to do.

And for those who made up their mind to not come out, they will have their reasons too.

No one person is bigger than the cause. But each and every one counts when it comes to protecting and celebrating our democracy.

Let’s just get that straight.