50,000? No big deal, says Chua

The MCA president scoffs at Bersih 2.0's claim that 50,000 people showed up at the rally.

KUALA LUMPUR: MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek laughed at Saturday’s Bersih 2.0 rally turnout, saying the numbers was “no big deal” and claimed his party could muster the same support anytime.

Chua said the 50,000 participants Bersih 2.0 claimed to have gained meant nothing, adding that the reasons for the rally were “flimsy”.

“To gather 10,000 or 20,000 people to demonstrate is nothing great. MCA can organise 50,000 if you want me to do it, anytime,” he told a press conference at Wisma MCA here today.

“But we must demonstrate for a cause. We should not demonstrate for flimsy reason – that the electoral roll is tainted,” he added.

Chua also said there was clearly a political motive behind the rally, adding that Pakatan Rakyat has yet to raise the issue (electoral reforms) in Parliament since the 2008 general election.

He claimed the rally was intended to bolster the opposition’s anti-government momentum and damage the economy in a bid to discredit the government.

He said the damage done by the rally exceeded RM100 million as the street protest had adversely affected investor confidence and tourism.

Small and Medium Entrepreneurs Association president Mohd Ridzuan Abdullah was quoted by Utusan Malaysia as saying that some 5,000 traders recorded losses of up to RM100 million because they were forced to close for the day.

Barisan Nasional leaders have maintained the line of argument that Bersih 2.0 rally had disrupted businesses, incurring losses running into tens of millions.

But Bersih 2.0 denied the allegation, saying it was the unnecessary police roadblocks and clampdown that drew flak from the international business community.

Chinese did not back Bersih 2.0

Meanwhile, Chua claimed that the majority of the Chinese did not support the rally, saying that those seen at the march are only Chinese opposition members.

“There may be a sprinkling of people who just joined in but that does not reflect the majority of the people,” he said, adding that the demonstrators represented only the minority.

Bersih declared the rally a success and that 50,000 people had showed up for the gathering while police estimate stood at only 6,000. The media estimated the crowd to be between 10,000 and 15,000.

Bersih carried on with its rally without police permission, leading to nearly 1,700 arrests and scores injured. The rally also resulted in the death of Baharuddin Ahmad, the husband of a PKR division leader.

The group, consisting of 62 NGOs, took to the streets after Najib refused to allow the gathering to take place in the historic Stadium Merdeka where Malaya declared its independence in 1957.

His refusal came just after the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, in an unprecedented event, called on the government to meet Bersih and discuss the issue of free and fair elections amid heightened tension in the build-up to the rally.

The first Bersih rally in November 2007 saw tens of thousands being dispersed by police with tear gas and water cannons and was said to have been a key factor in the opposition’s electoral gain in the 2008 national polls.