Anwar: Presence of young at Bersih rally augurs well

The presence of the multiracial and young protesters in support of Bersih 2.0 for electoral reforms augurs well for the new political awakening that the country needs.

Their presence showed that the young are more aware of their rights, Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said today.

"Yes, there were thousands from the younger generation present, and mind you, not only Malays, but also the Chinese and Indians were at the rally.

"This augurs well for Malaysian politics. I hope this will spur them to register as voters, and this is certainly a good sign," he told reporters after attending his sodomy trial at the Kuala Lumpur High Court.

Anwar, who was wearing a neck brace on the advice of his doctor after a fall at KL Sentralduring last Saturday's rally, was asked about the presence of thousands of young protesters of various races at the rally at the nation's capital.

Thousands of those belonging to the Internet, Twitter and Facebook generation that turned up in support of Bersih 2.0 calls for electoral reform.

A Facebook group has also been set up calling for the resignationof Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, following the fallout of the Bersih rally over the weekend. The group now has more than 170,000 'likes'.

Anwar expressed as phenomenal the huge turnout, estimated at about 50,000 participants.

"They (the youth) have began to step up to know of their rights,” he said, stressing the multiracial composition of the rally.

"What is important is, (it's) not necessary that they support us, but for them to be aware of their rights under the constitution and also the abuses the present BN government has done and to be critical of the government," he said. - Malaysiakini