Mat Sabu: Prevent S'gor falling into BN hands, show solidarity at Bersih rally

Newly-elected PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu called on his party to throw its weight behind the Bersih 2.0 rally so that the BN federal government would think twice about using dirty tactics to wrest back states like Selangor.

Quickly showing his mettle, Mat Sabu minced no words in warning the PAS 57th annual congress on Sunday that the Pakatan Rakyat-led state of Selangor was at risk in the next general election.

Indeed, intelligence gathered by the coalition led by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim showed that Prime Minister Najib Razak had pumped in hundreds of millions in a bid to regain control of the country's richest state.

Not only have there been widespread police reports of citizenships being offered to foreign workers in exchange for their votes, Najib has deployed hundreds of thousands of volunteer paramilitary troops or RELA into the state.

Many believe these RELA volunteers have been taught to act as phantom voters and should the Pakatan still win, they may even trigger street riots to pave the way for Najib to declare emergency or federal rule.

“We have brought prosperity to the state, high wages for teachers and more, but if the general election is called, will Pakatan continue to rule Selangor? It is not yet certain," Mat Sabu told PAS delegates.

He was tabling a motion for the PAS central committee to support the Bersih 2 rally. Endorsement would mean a massive turnout.

A walk for democracy

Both Mat Sabu and another PAS leader Hatta Ramli are part of the steering committee organising the rally, which will also highlight the public's unhappiness over a recent slew of price hikes.

"We will mobilise 100,000 members and supporters from PAS alone,” Mat Sabu had told a press conference last month.

Dubbed 'A walk for Democracy' the Besrih 2.0 rally is due to be held on July 9 at 2 pm in Kuala Lumpur.

Some pundits also see it as a means for the opposition to rally support and to motivate Malaysians ahead of general elections widely expected to be held within the next few months.

Bersih is made up of more than 60 NGOs, and its aim to ensure free and fair elections in the country.

In 2007, it urged the Election Commision to use indelible ink on ballot papers, to clean-up the electoral lists, abolish postal votes and grant access to the print and broadcast media to the opposition to air their messages. Currently, the opposition is denied access to the mainstream media which is controlled by the government.

For the 2011 rally, Bersih will also demand that the Prime Minister Najib Razak's BN coalition be stopped from misusing government machinery and apparatus.

It will also wants the EC to stop the BN from using oppressive laws such as the Official Secrets Act and Internal Security Act to stop dissent and gain the upperhand over its opponents.

- Malaysia Chronicle