Was Bersih 4.0 A Great Success?
Not everybody who gathered there came together for a common cause. This in itself dents the supposed success of the rally.
Tajuddin Rosli
29 and 30th August of 2015 witnessed a big street rally in Kuala Lumpur city central. Bersih organisers claim collectively about 500,000 people participated in the rally that was held over 34 hours. Pro-opposition media called it a huge success while pro-government media deemed it a failure.
So, was it really a success or otherwise?
First of all, the objective of the street gathering itself is unclear. Was it a gathering to call for clean and fair elections? Clean government? Or was the rally held to call for Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s resignation? Pro-Opposition supporters would say all of the above. Some people would say the objective does not matter but the point is allegedly half a million people gathered on the streets of KL to protest against the government. Is that really true?
Pictures circulating the web showed some gathered to propagate gay rights. Some voiced for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s release from prison. The Opposition used it as a vehicle to spread their propaganda. While the public applauded the presence of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, it is equally important to note that Mahathir himself said he was not there to support Bersih or street rallies. Neither was he there to topple the government. He never even wore a yellow top. He specifically said he went there to voice for Najib’s resignation. That means Mahathir appeared for his own personal vendetta against Najib, not anything else. He does not support Bersih nor condones the idea of toppling the BarisanNasional government.
All this simply means not everybody who gathered there came together for a common cause. This in itself dents the supposed success of the rally.
How’s the attendance with regards to the population?
Klang Valley is reported to be populated by more than 7 million people. Generously taking 500,000 as the number that was present, it is still less than 10% of the population of Klang Valley. What about the remaining 90 plus percent? It is also important to note that of those attended, not everyone was from Klang Valley. There were representations from all over Peninsular Malaysia. Probably 5% or less of Klang Valley only participated in the calls against the government? With such low numbers, why should the demands of Bersih be met?
The gathering this time evidenced majority Chinese ethnic participation. Compare this with the first Bersih rally. The first Bersih rally had about 70-80% participation by Malays. The number of Malays that participated in subsequent Bersih rallies dwindled significantly and this time it was the least. Does this mean that the Malays are slowly returning their support to BN? Port Dickson housed more Malay visitors than Bersih rally during the Merdeka weekend. Even the Ops Blackout in 2013 had significantly more Malay support than this edition of Bersih. This brings back to the earlier question. Why should the government adhere to Bersih’s demands?
What about Bersih in other states?
If you recall the initial press conference of Bersih, the organiser said this installment of the rally was targeting three locations – Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu. However, during the entire course of the gathering and post-event, nothing much was reported on what happened in Sabah and Sarawak. We all know that East Malaysia has been BN’s backbone and the Opposition coalition have been targeting that part of Malaysia for the longest time. This rally was meant to strike fear in BN about the uproar in Sabah and Sarawak against the government. Was the objective met?
In Sarawak only about 1000-1500 people attended the rally that was held in the Song Kheng Hai ground. This is despite the Chief Minister of Sarawak giving a green light to the gathering and the Member of Parliament for Kuching is a representative of DAP. People did not stay there for 34 hours either. People came in stages, spent some time and went back home. Similar scenario was witnessed in Sabah with a poor turnout. The gatherings in East Malaysia locations did not even last 24 hours. This clearly shows that Bersih was out-rightly rejected in East Malaysia.
After the Bersih rally, Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan and Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz mocked the entire event. Although netizens ridiculed and condemned them for making such statements, deep inside BN is celebrating the failure of Bersih. What was aimed at striking fear and unrest amongst BN has simply presented BN with the last laugh. This was the most peaceful rally against the government ever in Malaysia. Did the government see what Bersih and the Opposition failed to project that they ensured the gathering was uneventful? Did the government call the Opposition’s bluff when the Armed Forces Chief stated a possibility of an emergency in the event of violence?
The final outcome of Bersih 4.0 showed us how many steps ahead the government is compared to the Opposition. While the Opposition slams the government for racial division, it was Bersih and the Opposition who fell into their own trap and caused an evident racial split. More such street rallies and the disparity between races would only grow further. No wonder BN representatives are requesting for Bersih to be an annual event.
