— Maha Balakrishnan
The Malaysian Insider
Apr 27, 2012
APRIL 27 — Just when you think the government and police force in this country can’t possibly do anything more ridiculous than the last thing they did, they top it.
Apparently, the police have now allowed Bersih 3.0 to assemble on the perimeter of Dataran Merdeka, but just not ON Dataran Merdeka. Let us take a step back and consider this: The perimeter of Dataran Merdeka comprises public roads.
What the police are saying is that it’s OK for Malaysians, who will probably number in the thousands, to assemble on public roads on a Saturday afternoon, but NOT on a closed-off square away from traffic and built for such assemblies of people.
What was the rationale for banning Bersih’s use of Dataran Merdeka, again? Something about Bersih 3.0 now suddenly becoming a security threat? How is Bersih 3.0 a security threat on a public square but not on public roads?
I step on the square, I’m a security threat; I step off the square, I’m not. Genius.
From the beginning, this was clearly a game of Top Trumps. This last salvo from the government of the day “allowing” people to gather on the streets around Dataran Merdeka shows that its insistence that Bersih 3.0 cannot use Dataran Merdeka was sheer stubbornness, with no real belief in the rally being a security threat or that it would tarnish the “image” of Dataran Merdeka.
How can it be that despite the bitter experience of Bersih 2.0, they have learned nothing? In case you still can’t see it, prime minister, deputy prime minister, home minister and the rest of the boys in the back rooms of Putrajaya — the woman won the pissing contest.
But over and above all the gaffes today, there is another one that was committed on July 10, 2011 and will come back to haunt the government on April 29, 2012. The government insisted that only 5,000 or so people turned out in support of Bersih 2.0.
What will they say the figures are for Bersih 3.0, I wonder? If they name any figure more than 5,000, then Bersih has gathered more supporters than a year before, and support for their cause has increased. If they name the same figure of 5,000, then Bersih has not lost any support from a year ago.
Will they name a figure less than 5,000? They wouldn’t dare, when Bersih Global itself is likely to gather almost that much.
Any way the government turns, it loses.
#1 by sheriff singh on Friday, 27 April 2012 - 9:24 pm
‘I step on the square, I’m a security threat; I step off the square, I’m not. Genius.’
It is the latest fatwa from the A-G’s chambers. They are looking at every word of all the regulations so as not to run foul of the law.
The field is ‘holy’ ground while the road is not.
But you can legally do a sit-in in the underground car park as it is not covered by the Court order which says ‘Dataran Merdeka and all the land surfaces…’
#2 by cseng on Friday, 27 April 2012 - 11:48 pm
To prove their stupidity, so called police, DBKL are protecting the field and not the people.
You can assemble but you can’t march.
The jokes of these police clown officer seriously diffuse the focus of tomorrow’s Bersih sit-in.
Anyhow, without these water canon and smoke, you don’t get so many to joint, really.
#3 by SENGLANG on Saturday, 28 April 2012 - 8:46 am
BN know very well this time after the lesson learn from Bersih 2, that stopping Bersih 3 will cause them the next GE. But with the insecure within BN and they want to save a little face out it, they can’t give in to all what Bersih 3 want. So Bersih want Dataran Merdeka, they say know. You can have Bersih 3 but not the venue they have chosen. At least they did not give in 100% as they still want their face.
Bersih 3 is on the way, there is no turning now but the real change is the only solutions and no merely talk and talk.
#4 by Winston on Saturday, 28 April 2012 - 9:39 am
Bersih 3.0 has driven them nuts.
They are in grave danger of losing their gravy train!!!
That’s why they are completely irrational!!!