NO FACE-OFF
LOW TURNOUT: Bersih 5 seems to have lost mass appeal, momentum
Police keep security under control as thousands of Bersih and Red Shirts
supporters march in separate rallies in Kuala Lumpur.
THOUSANDS of Malaysians rallied peacefully in the city yesterday, with the Bersih rally being dominated by the new Malay-based political party, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM).
Almost a decade into its inception, the Bersih movement on free and fair elections appeared to have lost momentum as PPBM leaders stole the show this time around.
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, standing in front of KLCC, called for the removal of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the ouster of the Umno-led government.
Political analysts said that Bersih was losing its mass appeal, as evident by Bersih 5’s relatively low turnout.
Police estimate that at least 15,500 protesters attended the rally at KLCC yesterday, a much smaller crowd compared with last year.
The appearance of ex-Umno leaders, who had previously denounced Bersih, could have eroded some support for the electoral movement.
“Based on Bersih’s history, the rally had originally acted as a platform for protesters to call for clean and fair elections,” political analyst Dr Ismail Sualman said.
“However, Bersih now revolves around attacking Najib on various issues, such as the 1MDB controversy.”
He said Dr Mahathir’s support for Bersih protesters was in direct contradiction with his stand against street demonstrations during and after his tenure as prime minister.
Another analyst, Professor Dr Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani from Universiti Utara Malaysia, pointed out that jailed former opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had used Bersih for his own struggle.
“In previous Bersih rallies, Anwar was seen as the main figure. Now that Dr Mahathir is with the opposition, it is no surprise that the former prime minister needs Bersih’s support to defeat Najib and Barisan Nasional,” he said.
The lacklustre support for Bersih 5 also underscored the glaring absence of Pas, which had been responsible for mobilising thousands of its members to previous rallies.
After getting the boot from the now defunct Pakatan Rakyat last year, Pas had snubbed the Bersih 4 rally, which resulted in the event being racially imbalanced, with Chinese making up the majority of protesters.
Pas secretary-general Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan attempted to justify his party’s decision to rebuff Bersih 5, saying its organisers had deviated from their original struggle.
“Other than deviating from the original focus, the participants of Bersih 4 also stomped on photographs of the country’s top leader, which we cannot accept,” he said.
Pahang Wanita Umno chief Senator Datuk Roslin Abdul Rahman argued that claims of Bersih being funded by Hungarian-American philanthropist George Soros was a cause for concern among Malays.
“I hope the Malaysian people realise the agenda of the West and reject its attempts to meddle in a country’s affairs by maintaining parliamentary democracy.”
The Bersih 5 rally ended peacefully yesterday, despite initial fears that violence would erupt between the Bersih protesters and the Red Shirts, who held a counter-rally in the absence of its leader, Datuk Seri Jamal Yunos, who is in police remand.
Bersih protesters began gathering at various points at the city centre, but were prevented from converging at Dataran Merdeka after police set up barricades in and around the historic square.
This led to a sizeable number of protesters leaving the rally or diverting to KLCC where Dr Mahathir, Muhyiddin and other opposition leaders addressed the group.
The Red Shirts, however, claimed that its counter-rally against Bersih yesterday had achieved its objective despite the absence of several of its key leaders.