Bersih 2.0 chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan has stressed that it has never been the movement's intention to topple the BN.
In a
n interview with the Wall Street Journal published yesterday, Ambiga said Bersih 2.0 wants to work with the government to improve the electoral system.
"To me, it was never our intention and it is still not our intention to bring down this government. We want to work with this government, to improve our electoral system," she said.
She was also asked if there were any similarities between last Saturday's rally and the 'Arab Spring' protests in Egypy, Tunisia and Syria.
"No similarities, in my view. They were in a completely different situation. Here, all we are doing is asking for a free and fair election. It is the government's disproportionate response that created a momentum. But we are still a peace-loving nation. We still want the government to be fair."
Ambiga also denied the coalition is behind the online movement against premier Najib Abdul Razak following the government's high-handed management of the rally. A Facebook page has gathered more than 100,000 'likes', calling for Najib's resignation.
"We have nothing to do with that. It is never and has never been Bersih's intention for the prime minister to step down. As I said, we want to work with the prime minister and his government to have a better electoral system," said Ambiga.
She also reiterated the independence of the movement, which has been accused of being an extension of the opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat.
"How can you say the cause for free and fair elections is only for the opposition? It is for everybody. Pakatan ... did support Bersih. What's wrong with that? Pakatan ... members are also citizens of this country. Are they not entitled to support a movement for free and fair elections?"
Asked what would happen if Malaysia had truly free and fair elections, the former Bar Council president declined to speculate.
"I really can't predict. I wouldn't want to even begin to predict, actually. All I can tell you is that we will get a government who truly reflects the will of the people. And that's all we want."
Gov't reaction 'helped us'
Ambiga said she still does not fully understand the reason behind government's clampdown on the rally.
"But I think they acted because they have taken a position and they were not prepared to move from that position. And they wanted to teach us a lesson, not by reason."
She attributed the large turnout to the government, whose attempts to thwart the rally helped to build the momentum.
"We thought we won't even get the numbers - we were worried about how to publicise the event. We never expected the government to react the way it did... Honestly, if they had allowed us to proceed and played it down, we would not have gotten those numbers."
Although the crackdown has continued, Ambiga is still hopeful that the government will change its stance.
"They are not reading the situation properly at all. But I still say there is time to salvage, to reconcile, and I hope the government will seek to do that." - Malaysiakini
In a
n interview with the Wall Street Journal published yesterday, Ambiga said Bersih 2.0 wants to work with the government to improve the electoral system."To me, it was never our intention and it is still not our intention to bring down this government. We want to work with this government, to improve our electoral system," she said.
She was also asked if there were any similarities between last Saturday's rally and the 'Arab Spring' protests in Egypy, Tunisia and Syria.
"No similarities, in my view. They were in a completely different situation. Here, all we are doing is asking for a free and fair election. It is the government's disproportionate response that created a momentum. But we are still a peace-loving nation. We still want the government to be fair."
Ambiga also denied the coalition is behind the online movement against premier Najib Abdul Razak following the government's high-handed management of the rally. A Facebook page has gathered more than 100,000 'likes', calling for Najib's resignation.
"We have nothing to do with that. It is never and has never been Bersih's intention for the prime minister to step down. As I said, we want to work with the prime minister and his government to have a better electoral system," said Ambiga.
She also reiterated the independence of the movement, which has been accused of being an extension of the opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat."How can you say the cause for free and fair elections is only for the opposition? It is for everybody. Pakatan ... did support Bersih. What's wrong with that? Pakatan ... members are also citizens of this country. Are they not entitled to support a movement for free and fair elections?"
Asked what would happen if Malaysia had truly free and fair elections, the former Bar Council president declined to speculate.
"I really can't predict. I wouldn't want to even begin to predict, actually. All I can tell you is that we will get a government who truly reflects the will of the people. And that's all we want."
Gov't reaction 'helped us'
Ambiga said she still does not fully understand the reason behind government's clampdown on the rally.
"But I think they acted because they have taken a position and they were not prepared to move from that position. And they wanted to teach us a lesson, not by reason."She attributed the large turnout to the government, whose attempts to thwart the rally helped to build the momentum.
"We thought we won't even get the numbers - we were worried about how to publicise the event. We never expected the government to react the way it did... Honestly, if they had allowed us to proceed and played it down, we would not have gotten those numbers."
Although the crackdown has continued, Ambiga is still hopeful that the government will change its stance.
"They are not reading the situation properly at all. But I still say there is time to salvage, to reconcile, and I hope the government will seek to do that." - Malaysiakini
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