Malaysiakini | Jul 13, 11

DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang has vowed to wear yellow every Saturday until the government accedes to the demands of civil society and political activists pertaining to electoral and political reform.

The demands include the release of the six PSM activists currently detained under the Emergency Ordinance (EO), the end to the ban on materials promoting the Bersih 2.0 coalition and the BN-led government’s xanthophobia (‘fear of yellow’), and the implementation of Bersih 2.0’s eight demands for electoral reforms.

The eight demands are for a clean electoral roll, reform of postal voting, the use of indelible ink, a minimum 21-day campaign period, free and fair media access, the strengthening of public institutions, and the end to corruption and dirty politics.

As implementation of Bersih’s demands is likely to weaken BN’s grip on power, wags believe the DAP supremo may well be wearing yellow for a long time.

Fresh from last Saturday’s rally, Lim slammed premier Najib Abdul Razak’s administration, calling its handling of the Bersih 2.0 demonstration in Kuala Lumpur a “national and international black eye”.

The use of tear gas and water cannon, as well as the arrest of 1,697 people and one death – allegedly caused by complications due to exposure to tear gas – was widely reported by the international media .

“Three days after the disastrous mishandling of the peaceful and legitimate Bersih 2.0 rally calling for (clean) and fair elections… there are no signs that the powers-that-be have learnt anything at all,” he said.

Lim cited the continued detention of the PSM6, the refusal of the Home Ministry to admit to police brutality during the rally, and the continued arrests of Malaysians wearing Bersih T-shirts.

Three PAS leaders were recently arrested for wearing Bersih T-shirts, one in Kota Kinabalu and two more in Johor Bahru.

In the run-up to the rally, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein had declared the T-shirts promoting Bersih as illegal. The coalition itself was outlawed on July 2 by the Registrar of Societies.

‘1Malaysia’ spirit in Bersih rally

Lim took aim at Malay daily Utusan Malaysia and by extension its owners, Umno, for suggesting that those who participated in the Bersih 2.0 rally last Saturday were traitors to the Agong.

He advised the government to heed the advice of Shamul Amri Baharuddin of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

Shamsul had, at an event in Bangi on Monday, said that the challenges before a Malaysian government have evolved and that it should drop its “cold war mentality”.

“The ‘enemy’ is no longer (the) armed communist, but a civilian movement consisting of a politically awakened middle class that is wired to the global community and moved by legitimate issues,” said Shamsul.

Driving his point further, Lim made reference to Matthias Chang (right), the former political secretary to former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamed.

In a blog last Saturday, he said the rally ironically reflected Najib’s 1Malaysia and that the government’s crackdown had backfired.

“It is indeed ironic that the 1Malaysia slogan … was reflected more in the ranks of the Bersih 2.0 campaign on July 9 than in the ranks of political opportunist and upstart Khairy Jamaluddin’s miniscule band of Red Shirts provocateurs,” he wrote.

Chang boldly wagered his reputation that Najib would be ousted within six months if a general election is held this year.