Take action against 'Jihad' Ibrahim Ali, PAS warns police

KUALA LUMPUR - PAS has urged police to act against the provocative statements by UMNO's sister organisation Perkasa, whose chief Ibrahim Ali threaten to physically stop the July 9 rally by electoral reform group Bersih.

The inaction by the police makes it seem that the country is lawless because there exists an organisation which is above the law," said PAS information chief Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man .

Ibrahim, the staunchly pro-UMNO independent member of parliament for Pasir Mas, has vowed to stop the rally, saying he would mobilise his own supporters, hoping both gatherings would clash.

“(If they proceed) there will be a clash. If that happens, it is for the better," said Ibrahim, who again invoked the term "jihad" to describe his right-wing activities.

"Jihad is to prevent bad things from happening... I have every right to stop (the rally),” he added.

Tuan Ibrahim reiterated that Bersih 2.0, whose predecessor Bersih organised a massive rally attended by tens of thousands in Kuala Lumpur in 2007, has the noble aim to push for a cleaner and fairer general election.

“Any sort of abuse in the next general election will cause dissatisfaction to the people," he said, adding that the Islamic party chose to team up with Pakatan Rakyat and other NGOs in their demand for electoral reforms.

He said the Election Commission and National Registration Department "were committing abuses, together with the rampant media abuses", adding that the police were dutybound to prevent any attempt by Perkasa to gather its group of supporters to stop the July 9 rally.

uan Ibrahim said PAS would continue to hold dialogues with EC before the rally.

“The meeting is important to ensure all of Bersih 2.0’s demands are fulfilled, and to let the government know why people are against the EC.

"The dialogues and continuous meetings prove that PAS is not out to create tensions by participating in a peaceful rally, but it is the only way to tell the government how serious the people feel about the current unfair election system,” he explained.

He pointed out that recent allegations of "citizenship for votes" in Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan, as well unexplained "sudden increase" in the number of new voters should not be taken lightly.

“All these efforts show that EC and NRD have conspired with UMNO-Barisan Nasional to ensure a victory for BN,” he said, adding that the institution of the police would directly benefit should elections be held in a fair and transparent manner.

- Harakahdaily