Kit Siang accuses Najib of being insincere in Bersih row

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

July 07, 2011

Inspector-General of Polis Tan Sri Ismail Ali updating the media about the Bersih clampdown at Bukit Aman, Kuala Lumpur July 7 2011. — Picture by Jack Ooi

KUALA LUMPUR, July 7 — DAP leader Lim Kit Siang accused Datuk Seri Najib Razak today of being insincere and irresponsible for continuing with the Bersih clampdown, despite the group heeding the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s call to hold the July 9 rally in a stadium.

The election watchdog has chosen Stadium Merdeka as the venue for this Saturday’s rally. Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar has however told the polls reform group to hold its rally outside of the capital.

“Datuk Seri Najib Razak runs the risk of becoming the first Kafkaesque Prime Minister in Malaysia who does not mean what he says and does not say what he means,” Lim said in a statement today.

“Kafkaesque” relates to Czech Franz Kafka’s writings which centre around the bizarre, random, surreal forced by an impersonal administration where the individual feels powerless to understand or control what is happening.

The DAP advisor said that the King’s intervention of the row between Bersih and the government was “short-lived” when Najib “passed the buck” of allowing Bersih to hold its rally ay Stadium Merdeka to the police.

“It is reported that the Prime Minister will be leaving for overseas tomorrow. He should not do so but should be in the country to ensure that the Bersih 2.0 stadium rally on July 9 as agreed upon as a result of the wise and just intervention of the Yang di Pertuan Agong and with his concurrence is held in a smooth, peaceful and orderly manner,” added Lim.