Umno won’t prevent members from joining Bersih 5

(FMT) – Umno will not prevent its members from taking part in the Bersih 5 rally, but will not come to their aid if they are arrested at the gathering, Annuar Musa said.

“If they want to take part, by all means, go ahead,” the Umno information chief told reporters here, alluding to the Nov 19 rally which among others calls for Prime Minister Najib Razak to step down.

However, Annuar believes that Umno members are aware of Bersih 2.0’s reason for organising the gathering, which he claimed was done in line with the Opposition’s agenda.

The electoral reform group he claimed, was out to help the Opposition.

“We know who Bersih 2.0 is. They may be made up of various NGOs, but in reality they are the Opposition’s puppets. Even the ‘rakyat’ knows this,” Annuar said.

Umno’s stance in this matter is in stark contrast with that of PAS which had yesterday said it would not participate in the rally, making it the second time it has decided to opt out of the rally.

Last year, PAS, after having gone separate ways from former Pakatan Rakyat allies, PKR and DAP, did not participate in the two-day Bersih 4 rally held on Aug 29-30.

This was in sharp contrast to the previous three Bersih rallies, where a large number of the participants were from the Islamist party, which also provided security support from its Unit Amal team.

PAS Secretary-General Takiyuddin Hassan explained their exclusion was because the current objectives of the electoral watchdog was not in line with the party’s stand.

Last year PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang said it was wrong to unseat Najib via “undemocratic means” and insisted that changes be made through the ballot box. He also said that Najib should be given a chance to finish his term as the prime minister.

Apart from demanding that Najib steps down as PM, Bersih 2.0 is also calling for institutional reforms.

Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar had previously said that rallies asking for Najib to step down would be disallowed.