KUCHING - Twelve DAP assemblymen, who announced plans to wear yellow shirts on Saturday in solidarity with the Bersih 2.0 rally, will be arrested if they do so, according to information received by DAP state secretary Chong Chieng Jen.
This even if there were no Bersih 2.0 wordings on the clothing.
Nonetheless, Chong who is also the assemblyman for Sentosa vowed that one way or another, they would still be clad in yellow and would have breakfast with their supporters despite the tip-off.
Chong had heard there would be a crackdown on the opposition parties and believes the order came directly from Putrajaya, the administrative capital of the federal government.
"I can only say we are not going to do anything unlawful but meeting the people only," Chong told reporters on Friday.
His Pakatan Rakyat colleague, PKR Sarawak chief Baru Bian, had a day ago lambasted Prime Minister Najib Razak's government for an overly harsh crackdown that has seen some 200 people arrested, mostly for wearing yellow Bersih T-shirts.
All three PKR assemblymen are in Kuala Lumpur, where they are expected to represent Sarawak in the Bersih rally for free and fair elections at the Stadium Merdeka. The first Sarawakian to be arrested for wearing a Bersih T-shirt was PKR Miri Youth leader Zulhaidah Suboh, who is still under remand.
"It is equally illogical for the Home Minister to rule that wearing yellow T-shirts are a criminal offence. Where does it state in our nation’s laws that wearing yellow t-shirts is a criminal offence? Is it not the prerogative of Parliament to enact laws? Is the Home Minister, a lawyer himself, in need of reminding of the doctrine of sovereignty of Parliament?" Baru Bian had said in a statement.
"PKR Sarawak denounces such high-handed bullying tactics inflicted on Zulhaidah Suboh that are clearly repugnant to justice and more so to the spirit of His Majesty’s statement and demands that the police immediately releases Zulhaidah Suboh without fail."
Bersih is a coalition of 62 top NGOs. It had organised a rally to demand for free and fair elections to be held on July 9 in Kuala Lumpur but Prime Minister Najib Razak is vehemently opposing the rally. Najib has outlawed Bersih and pronounced its yellow T-shirt as being "illegal".
Commend Bersih, not jail them
Meanwhile, Sarawak DAP deputy chairman Chiew Chin Sing who flew in from Bintulu this afternoon also slammed the police and BN government for clamping down on the Bersih call the call for free-and-fair electiions. To the Kidurong assemblyman, the Bersih organisers and their supporters should be commended for their civic-mindedness instead.
Chiew also pointed out that Sarawak Deputy Police Commissioner, Law Hong Soon, had advised the people not to wear the Bersih t-shirt but said donning yellow is not an offence. Now comes the order from the peninsula not to even allow yellow to be worn, Chiew fumed.
"There is no rational behind such arrest for anyone clad in yellow. Where is our basic rights? We are the people’s representatives and we should meet the public to hear their woes,” he said, calling the BN move a desperate and unnecessarily dramatic one.
However, Sibu OCPD Shafie Ismail when contacted by Malaysia Chronicle refuted the DAP claims, insisting that he would not arrest anyone dressed in yellow unless these items contained Bersih 2.0 wordings.
Shafie said wearing yellow is not going to harm anyone and he himself likes the color.
10 teams
Meanwhile, Pujut assemblyman Fong Pau Teck evaded arrest in Miri when he went out in a Bersih t-shirt while performing his daily chores. While flying in to Kuching this afternoon, Fong claimed he was "followed" when going to the airport.
It is believed that Sarawak police have now formed more than 10 teams and would move in to nab the 12 DAP assemblymen after breakfast, when they are to go split into a few teams to do voters registration.
The 12 assemblymen are Wong King Wei, Violet Yong, Christina Chiew, Chong Chieng Jen, Sibu, Wong Ho Leng , David Wong, Yap Hoi Liong, Sarikei Wong Hua She, Meradong Ting Tze Hui, Kidurong, Chiew Chin Sing, Miri, Fong Pau Teck and Ling Sie Kiong.
Police are also said to be looking for PKR Batu Lintang State Assemblyman, See Chee How. When contacted, See told Malaysia Chronicle that he was in Kuala Lumpur and had done nothing wrong, so why should the police look for him, he asked.
The police, See added, should be out there catching the real criminals, not him.
- Malaysia Chronicle
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