Police may make more arrests, says Karpal

DAP chairman Karpal Singh thinks that more major players in the planned Bersih rally will be hauled up in the next few days.

GEORGE TOWN: DAP chairman Karpal Singh expects the police to make more arrests in the coming days to thwart the planned Bersih 2.0 rally next Saturday.

He believes more major players behind the planned march will be targeted.

He said the current tough police crackdown on Bersih activists had led him to believe that anyone associated with Bersih would be hauled up soon.

He pointed out that the detention of 30 leaders and activists from Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) since last was a clear sign that the police dragnet will widen.

Karpal said the authorities have even criminalise any attempt by anyone to encourage people to take part in the mammoth rally on July 9.

“Police are going all out to foil the rally.

“I expect more arrests, especially on the Bersih main leaders,” he told a press conference in Air Itam here during his visit to the Bukit Gelugor parliamentary constituency.

Karpal also slammed the violent protest by some 300 youths against Pakatan Rakyat state government and Bersih in the city centre yesterday.

He said the provocative protest was an attempt to incite racial hatred and violence.

Karpal criticised Umno Youth and Perkasa for adopting intimidating political tactics to instill fear in the people over the Bersih rally.

He chided both movements for trying to organise respective rallies on the same day and venue to disrupt the Bersih rally.

He added that if both organisations are keen to support the Election Commission and government, they can always organise their rallies on different days.

“We respect their rights to organise their own rallies. But why on the same day?” he said, adding that Pakatan would turn up in full force at the Bersih rally.

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak also came under fire for being hypocritical and inconsistent on the issue of constitutional rights to freedom of peaceful assembly.

Karpal said Najib should allow the Bersih rally in the same manner he hosted the “One Million Youth Gathering” in Putrajaya on May 27-28.

He added that Najib’s administration organised the roadshows, carried out massive publicity, engaged police to maintain law and order and even erected tents for the youths to stay.

But when it comes to the Bersih march, the government has acted bullishly to halt it.

“Why the double standard?” It’s time Najib intervened and allowed the peaceful Bersih rally,” said Karpal.