Police thwart Bersih’s first roadshow

SHAH ALAM, June 25 — A Bersih 2.0 roadshow was cancelled last night after police mounted roadblocks here and arrested PKR Youth deputy chief Khairul Annuar at the electoral reform gathering here.

Khairul, who wore a yellow Bersih T-shirt, was handcuffed when he approached an empty stage at Uptown in Section 24 here that was barricaded with police tape.

Former Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) president Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud, who was the scheduled speaker at the event, did not turn up while no one else could be seen wearing Bersih T-shirts.

Several businessmen at the Uptown market told The Malaysian Insider that their customers were not allowed in by police at the roadblock, which was located at the turn-off leading to Section 24.

“The businessmen are unhappy. We should have been operating since 8pm, but no one is coming in,” said Firdaus Zakaria last night, who sells men’s wallets, bags and belts.

“There are usually a lot of customers on Friday and Saturday nights,” added the 28-year-old businessman, as other stall owners echoed his remarks.

Acting Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Amar Singh Ishar Singh said earlier yesterday that authorities were planning to derail the July 9 Bersih rally and its two counter-protests scheduled for the same day.

Election watchdog Bersih 2.0 is planning a massive rally on the day in Kuala Lumpur to push for electoral reforms, with PAS aiming to galvanise all one million of its members to take part in the assembly.

Umno Youth and right-wing group Perkasa have also promised to carry out separate rallies to rival Bersih’s.

Authorities maintain they will deny permits to all three and have repeatedly warned they will treat the rallies as illegal assemblies.

At Bersih’s first planned roadshow here last night, nine police trucks waited outside Uptown while scores of policemen walked about the quiet market.

Before yesterday’s cancellation, the group had planned to conduct other roadshows in Kuala Selangor and Johor Baru today, and in Sungai Siput, Perak tomorrow.

The first Bersih rally in 2007 saw up to 50,000 people take to the streets of Kuala Lumpur before they were dispersed by police armed with tear gas and water cannons.

The demonstration has been credited for Pakatan Rakyat’s record gains in Election 2008, where the opposition pact swept to power in five states and won 82 parliamentary seats.

Khairul was released late last night after his statement was taken at the Section 9 police station here, said Bersih 2.0 steering committee member Maria Chin Abdullah.