By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
The Malaysian Insider
Jul 31, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak disclosed today he had thought of Shah Alam stadium for the July 9 rally when he made offered a venue to Bersih, pointing out this was “the best option” available.
The prime minister, however, had never specified which stadium Bersih could hold the July 9 rally at when he made the offer.
“I offered a stadium. You can show dissent in a stadium, but they still wanted to do it on the streets.
“I had in mind the Shah Alam stadium, that was the best option,” Najib said today during his speech at the closing of the Malaysian Student Leaders Summit (MSLS) here.
He also accused Bersih today of rejecting his stadium offer despite the electoral reform group’s widely publicised concession to conduct the rally in a stadium.
The group had initially agreed to call off the rally after a meeting with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and for it to be held in Stadium Merdeka instead.
The request, however, was rejected by the authorities which resulted in a spill-over of Bersih supporters across the city last July 9 who had planned to march to Stadium Merdeka but were prevented from doing so by the police.
The PM stressed to the students that dissent was allowed in Malaysia, but that it had its limits.
“It’s a fallacy to say that we do not allow dissent. We don’t want it to impede the interests of a large majority,” he added.
“We’re always at the losing end, no matter what we do,” lamented Najib in reference to Pakatan Rakyat (PR)’s criticisms of the way the government had handled the Bersih rally as well as demands for electoral reform.
Bersih estimated that 50,000 people showed up at the July 9 rally for free and fair elections despite efforts to prevent it from taking place while police have said the number was closer to 6,000.
The protest turned chaotic when police fired tear gas and water cannons at thousands of demonstrators, resulting in nearly 1,700 arrests, scores injured and the death of ex-soldier Baharuddin Ahmad, 59.
The government has promised to investigate allegations of police brutality while the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) will hold a separate public inquiry into police conduct during the rally.
#1 by vsp on Sunday, 31 July 2011 - 10:01 pm
As long as Najib cannot give an unqualified “NO” to this simple question: “Does any of the 8-point demands by Bersih antithetical to a clean and fair electoral system?”, Najib (of the “you help me and I help you” infamy) is only beating around the bush and offering roundabout excuses and denials. He knows that he would be dead as a dodo if all the mechanism of a clean and fair election are in place.
#2 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Sunday, 31 July 2011 - 10:20 pm
Najib, I also had it in mind that you should put on yr running shoes and vamoose.
The more you open that big mouth of yours, the more stupid you look in the public eye. Sigh. Who the devil is your PR con-sultan?
#3 by tak tahan on Sunday, 31 July 2011 - 11:02 pm
I have an old pair of jogging shoe to shove in his big mouth to make him look the most retard!What kind of PM is this?Is he a nut or a big joker?i guess he ate too much cintanegara-jenis-rambutan.No cure.
#4 by tak tahan on Sunday, 31 July 2011 - 11:37 pm
You sickening people,though you made us feel sick of your stupidity and evil acts,we’ll watch every of your wrong-steps and we would play along with those and pay you back with equal mischievious or worst.Time will tell.Let the both opposition eyes see to it!Do not feel cocky!
#5 by monsterball on Sunday, 31 July 2011 - 11:40 pm
He needs days and days to think how to twist his words concerning the Stadium.
He said…do it in a stadium…Ambiga accepted the offer out of respect to Agong’s advices…and chose Merdeka Stadium.
What Najib is saying is not becoming of a PM.
He flip flops…contradicting himself…always trying so hard to make life difficult for Oppositions.
The more he twist and turn…the more Malaysians are sick of him.
#6 by yhsiew on Sunday, 31 July 2011 - 11:55 pm
Did not Ambiga say that Najib allowed Bersih to gather in ANY (yes ANY) of the stadiums? Najib, why do you change your word now?
#7 by all4democracy on Monday, 1 August 2011 - 12:11 am
Dear Najib, what’s the difference of having it in Merdeka Stadium or Shah Alam Stadium as long as it’s inside a stadium? The most important thing is the convenient of the organizer which is BERSIH in this case. I think BERSIH has done their best to accommodate Najib by agreeing to held the rally inside Stadium Merdeka, Najib and his gang should also return a favor by granting Stadium Merdeka to BERSIH.
#8 by tak tahan on Monday, 1 August 2011 - 12:16 am
Cakap apa pun tak da guna la..do what we can and convince those who we know and come across..keep on fighting like freedom fighter…their time is almost up..have the faith is what we have..anything is possible..that’s what i truly believe…….no give up!!!
#9 by boh-liao on Monday, 1 August 2011 - 12:33 am
NR, d liar 说谎 n twister
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwAcr-S1LSw
#10 by Cinapek on Monday, 1 August 2011 - 12:38 am
PM Najib, this excuse is so hollow everyone can see through it.
You took a long time to come up with this excuse – just like the MACC’s “suicide” letter purportedly written by TBH.
Immediately after meeting His Majesty YDP Agong, Bersih had announced that they intend to hold the rally in Merdeka Stadium. Instead of immediately countering offering Shah Alam Stadium, you, your cousin the HM and your PDRM [deleted] were trying all kinds of dirty tricks to derail the rally even in a stadium by insisting that Bersih is illegal and needed a permit, which they will not be approved because your HM cousin insist they are illegal. In short, you and your Govt. clearly showed you had no intention at all of allowing Bersih to go ahead with the rally, even in a stadium. So now this Shah Alam standium is just a bunch of BS.
#11 by aiD_kamikuP on Monday, 1 August 2011 - 12:54 am
Ha..ha..ha..ha..and Ha!
“I was planning to attend the Bersih rally too and…and..and.. I urged my cousin to issue the permit for the rally but he dragged his feet”…
Now what else do you want us to nod our heads in agreement for??
Even if this guy isn’t a retard, he is trying very hard to behave like one.
#12 by boh-liao on Monday, 1 August 2011 - 1:07 am
Bulan suci Ramadhan or not, NR continues 2 lie n twist
#13 by passerby on Monday, 1 August 2011 - 1:23 am
This guy is a liar. He did not counter offer any stadium even on the eve of the bersih but instead worn that any gathering is illegal.
You have been fooling the people for too long with all sort of excuses since the murder of Altantuya, Teoh Beng Hock and now the custom officer. The people don’t believe you anymore unless you come clean with all those murders.
Let vote the bn out to bring justice back to those victims.
#14 by Jeffrey on Monday, 1 August 2011 - 1:39 am
He said he had Shah Alam Stadium in mind. If so he didn’t explicitly say it at first instance. As an early judge (Blackstone I think) said, ‘the devil himself knoweth not the mind of man’ and a skeptical public may be excused, without Dr Paul Mullen’s testimony, for not being better equipped to determine the unexposed mental process. Fact is the King urged for compromise and conciliation, and in that spirit Bersih had agreed to Merdeka Stadium. In the same spirit of compromise, if lived up to, the govt, should have acceded to this request as Merdeka Stadium was owned and controlled ultimately by the govt via PNB. Instead no reason was given why Merdeka Stadium was not agreed to. (If it were, street marches would have been averted as supporters could have gathered directly at Merdeka Stadium). Instead Home Ministry gave the run around by saying that being an unlawful organisation, Bersih had to apply for police permit through another legal organisation thus forfeiting its own brand name and being coerced by this means to acknowledge its own illegal status that it had rejected. Not much o sincerity when posing a Hopson choice to Bersih.
#15 by monsterball on Monday, 1 August 2011 - 2:54 am
Najib had second thought…thinking a Shah Alam stadium will ….
1.Turn off other races…since the township is dominated by Malays.
2.It is not convenient for K.L Chinese folks.
3.Kuala Lumpur is on the world map. Foreigners knows very little… where Shah Alam is…and the news impact maybe less dramatic.
4.Merdeka Stadium is symbolic ad historical site.. …where Tunku declared Merdeka. A Shah Alam stadium takes away.. true meaning of BERSIH.
5.BERSIH 2 rally concentrate on changes for the better. Merdeka Stadium gave us FREEDOM…indirectly a change of rulers.
6. At Shah Alam Stadium…Police can check things coming in to Shah Alam much much easier.
From what we saw…be it at Shah Alam or KL..protesters are ready…from all over the country to participate…as BERSIH 2 rally is all about good for the country and people and nothing will stop people to walk and send a message loud and clear to Najib.
#16 by k1980 on Monday, 1 August 2011 - 5:35 am
He had also in mind to blow up Altan with an atomic bomb instead of c4 explosives, except that he had no atom bombs
#17 by Bigjoe on Monday, 1 August 2011 - 6:46 am
How pathetic can he get? The bully complaining that the small boys was NOT NICE TO HIM? What are the rakyat – his mommy?
#18 by ENDANGERED HORNBILL on Monday, 1 August 2011 - 7:12 am
There is no 2 ways about it. NR does want to lose ANY erection, and so:
1)NR lies.
2)NR che*ts
3)NR fibs
4)NR sh*i*ts
5)NR f*ar*t*s
6)NR mud*dles
7)NR confuses
8)NR flip-flops
9)NR fudges
10)NR deceives
NR scores perfect 10 for a PM (“premier Mus”).
P/s : Mus musculus = house mouse
#19 by waterfrontcoolie on Monday, 1 August 2011 - 7:36 am
PM, are you saying that you were UNABLE to decide? Just thinking? Well, if you keep on thinking without decision, then it is better you become a Mentor Minister as this will give you plenty of time to THINK and you don’t need to decide. Yes, most of the time we have created even the CIVIL service to “think” about when to decide; hence all the delays in the service. With such leadership, the rest of your troop would not DECIDE but keep thinking “WHEN TO DECIDE”; that is why, we are where we are!
#20 by PRmaju on Monday, 1 August 2011 - 8:30 am
From this example, it is clear that this man does not have a lot grey matter, otherwise he would not think he can fool people with such infantile talk.
#21 by rahmanwang on Monday, 1 August 2011 - 9:47 am
Yah block off all roads to any stadiums.
That’s what you call stadiums rally is allowed.
Bodoh.
#22 by Loh on Wednesday, 3 August 2011 - 10:08 pm
///Datuk Seri Najib Razak disclosed today he had thought of Shah Alam stadium for the July 9 rally when he made offered a venue to Bersih, pointing out this was “the best option” available.///
Najib did not specify which stadium so that Police and the Home Affair minister could claim that Bersih was illegal. Had Najib specified the Stadium, the police would have to accept that that named stadium is to be used for bersih, legal or otherwise, if the police still respected him and took his order over the objection of Hishamuddin. Now we do not know who was in charge, the PM, Muhyiddn or even Mamakthir.
Najib had Shah Alam Stadium in mind because that could only be reached by private transport, unlike Merdeka Stadium where people can reach it easily by public transport. Najib intended to tell the police to set up road block like they did the day before and then claim later that there were less than a thousand people attending the meeting.
If Najib was sincere in his words that ‘You can show dissent in a stadium’ why cannot that be done in Merdeka Stadium?