KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 — Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin dismissed today the legitimacy of the Bersih rally, and continued to portray the movement for clean and fair elections as a tool by the Opposition to topple the government.
The government outlawed the electoral reform coalition yesterday, a week before its planned rally on July 9.
“They instigate the people to go to the streets apparently to fight for clean and fair elections.
“They don’t even respect the majority mandate, but chose a street demonstration as a way to fight for power,” he said during his opening speech at the Federal Territory Barisan Nasional (BN) 2011 Convention here at the Berjaya Times Square Hotel.
The Federal Territory BN chairman claimed that the Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9 is a ruse by the Opposition to gain power that the ruling coalition has exposed.
“They know the people’s increasing support for Barisan Nasional, and that a democratic election will not guarantee their win.
“So, Barisan Nasional component parties do not need to dance to their beat,” he said.
Muhyiddin agreed that the Federal Constitution guarantees the freedom to have peaceful assemblies but added that “we didn’t think the people would be tricked.”
“The people have to know their true intention is not to have a peaceful assembly but to create chaos with the intention for bringing down the government elected by the people through a democratic election,” he warned.
He claimed that even when BN has lost during elections, its component parties have never broken any rules of the game.
“We have never taken to the streets or accused the election system of being unfair and dirty. In fact, we recognise the state governments set up by Opposition parties.
“If their accusations that the elections in this country are unfair and dirty, it is impossible for Opposition parties to win so many seats, and gain control over several states. Of course, the Barisan Nasional government’s supposedly cruel and unfair approach means it will use all the power it has to ensure every single Opposition candidate loses in every seat contested,” he said.
During the political tsunami of 2008, opposition parties took 82 seats in the Parliament, compared to 20 seats in the last election, which was held in 2004.
Five of the 13 state legislatures also fell to opposition control.
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