Malaysiakini Your Say | Jul 7, 11

‘Now that Bersih 2.0 organisers agree to hold the rally inside a stadium, Najib directs the stadiums not to allow it to happen.’

But Stadium Merdeka refuses Bersih’s booking

Rayfire: The authorities will use all avenues to stop the rally. They have already started with their so-called weapons find. PM Najib Razak was just appearing to be nice when he offered them to rally in a stadium, knowing for a fact that his minions will ensure that no such thing happens.

Yesterday they made commuters to KL angry hoping they will blame Bersih 2.0 for their woes but that didn’t work.

People are smart enough to see through their lies. It would be a miracle if at all Bersih gets the permission, permit and proper security support to have its rally in a stadium.

Please consider the state stadiums instead. Shah Alam, perhaps?

Jack Leong: What is this, BN? You ask Bersih to rally in a stadium instead of disrupting traffic flow. And now that the organisers agree to hold it in a stadium, you direct the stadiums not to allow the rally to happen?

Good men: It looks like they actually want to force Bersih out onto the streets so they can round everybody up under Emergency Ordinance.

Quigonbond: The Agong has already said that Bersih 2.0’s aims are noble, so it’s a matter of the government facilitating its gathering. It looks like there are going to be a lot of parties who menderhaka (committing treachery), not the least Umno itself, the police, and some stadium management who somehow owe their livelihood to Umno.

Michael Celo: Now with Merdeka Stadium predictably out of reach, and with time being short, please go for the Shah Alam Stadium.

Except for the problem of accessibility being less convenient than Kuala Lumpur’s Stadium Merdeka, the Shah Alam Stadium has more than double the capacity.

Now it’s also a great time for Bersih to be creative, to bring to life a campaign(s) – not necessarily involving a gathering(s)/rally(ies) of people – but, say a Bersih Day once-a-week during which time we wear yellow until changes come.

Constantly publicise it via the online media, and coordinate these messages through a clearly dedicated Facebook/Twitter account.

The BN/Umno government is pushing all of us into a corner, and if left with no alternative channel for release, we will break out of this as innovatively and as creatively as we can.

Podeh: S Ambiga, you and Bersih 2.0 will be given the run around by the BN. Finally it’ll be too late to hold anything – indoors or outdoors. You have been outwitted, period.

Bersih wants rally at Stadium Merdeka

4EverMalaysian: The police must stop all kind of harassment, stop arresting the rakyat and creating all sort of nonsense tactics immediately. Please show some respect for the Agong.

Both the government (including the PM and home minister) and Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) must follow both the Agong’s and the rakyat’s wishes. No two ways about it.

Lau Eng Shinn: If the police do not stop the intimidation and harassment and release all the detainees today, we should continue with our planned walk for freedom.

Anak Bangsa Malaysia: To the police, Hishammuddin Hussein and Najib, be aware of what the Agong wants from you. Free all those detained for calling for “free, fair and clean” elections. Do not harrass all those who support Bersih 2.0. Set up a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) on this matter.

Najib – what is your commitment to Malaysians? You said you are the PM, you have the power. Remember who gave you the power – the people. In fact you almost lost the elections in Pekan in 2008, don’t you forget that.

The Agong has spoken his mind and any average Malaysian will come to realise that the Agong is not too happy with you and your government for manupulating the Election Commission to your advantage.

The Agong being agreeable to the conditions of Bersih to have the rally albeit in a stadium is the strongest sign yet of his consent to improve the electoral system in Malaysia.

Fair Mind: What’s the point of allowing Bersih to rally in Merdeka Stadium when the police prevent people from attending the rally? What is the point of rallying when Najib does not implement the demands for clean elections?

Najib is a wily snake. He allows Bersih the stadium, but leaves it to the police to prevent people from attending and leaves it to the EC to refuse the demands of Bersih.

He made use of the EC, police and even the king. Malaysians have been cheated by him.

That’s why, Najib is sitting in Putrajaya while the rest are still trying very hard to pass even the preliminary stage of presenting the grouses to the government, which will be thrown into the wastepaper basket. That’s how clever Najib is.

Confused: How come people in Perkasa do not criticise the police actions as being disrespectful to the Istana, since the Bersih rally has been sanctioned by the Agong? I thought Perkasa members are the protectors of the Istana?

Audrey Teow: In my opinion, the rally should have gone ahead in the streets. Doing it in the stadium takes out the whole purpose of having a rally, which is to gain attention from international media, to bring attention to the rally’s cause.

Densemy: Royal commissions, Malaysian-style are an empty exercise and a waste of money from which nothing conclusive will arise and nothing will be done as a result of the findings.

The only commission that will have any impact is a people’s commission, and Bersih just opted out of that possibility by running away and hiding in a stadium specifically chosen to be inaccessible and make the rally irrelevant.

RR: It is rather very strange that the police are talking about enlisting the help of the Army to confront the rakyat when the king has instructed that Bersih 2.0 can hold the rally indoors. This is an open defiance of the king.

It appears the police will make it very difficult to issue a permit even for an indoor rally. Logic dictates that the organisers just have to inform the police of the venue and time, and the police – who serve the rakyat – should be there to facilitate traffic and crowd control, and to stop any untoward incidence that most likely would be perpetrated by spoilers like Perkasa and its associates.

JBGUY: The BN government is disrespecting the king by going against his recommendation. The rulers must not allow the government of the day to kill the aspirations of the rakyat. We will stand behind the rulers, so long as they are on the side of justice.

Anonymous: It looks like a game is being played here. To offer a stadium option to Bersih, and yet the stadium authorities disallow it. Are they forcing the rally back to the streets again? If Agong has agreed, how can the stadium reject Bersih’s application? Something is not right here.

Also, if the king has met with Bersih, how can it still be illegal and the home minister continued to insist it is an illegal organisation? This is all very confusing. Which means that anyone in yellow who walks into the stadium will be arrested.

So much for compromise. This is all a smokescreen.