Chong: Peaceful assemblies are proof of reforms in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: Peaceful assemblies and the use of indelible ink in general elections are proof of reforms in Malaysia, said MCA Youth chief Datuk Chong Sin Woon.

He said the Government was willing to listen and act according to the will of the people.

“The Government has amended the laws, including the Peaceful Assembly Act, to allow peaceful assemblies to take place,” he told reporters after presenting prizes to winners of a short film competition.

On Saturday’s Bersih 5 and Red Shirts rallies, he said: “The police did a good job in maintaining peace and order, voluntary first aid groups were on standby and the participants also cleaned up the rubbish after the event.

“These are positive developments and contributions to the advancement of society.”

At another event, Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin “commended” Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for making Bersih his workhorse.

“It goes to show that Dr Mahathir’s art of playing politics was much more sophisticated than the Opposition,” he said.

Khairy noted that Dr Mahathir had succeeded in overshadowing Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who was instrumental in uniting the opposition force against Barisan Nasional.

“People are no longer talking about Anwar. It is all about Tun Mahathir now. Congratulations Tun. Well done,” he said in a cynical note after addressing a convention.

Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said he managed to stop the bulk of the Red Shirt supporters from taking to street on Saturday.

“If not the number of Red Shirts would be equal to Bersih. I do not want what happened in Egypt and Syria to happen here,” he said.

In Ipoh, myPPP president Tan Sri M. Kayveas challenged Bersih to stand on its own to gain public support instead of rallying behind political parties.

“Can they actually say they are standing alone and do not need help from DAP or PKR?” he asked.