Work with Najib on reforms, Anwar told

An academic calls on BN and Pakatan to move beyond the rally and work on the demands made by Bersih 2.0.

GEORGE TOWN: Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim should work with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to realise Bersih 2.0′s objectives for electoral reforms, said an academic.

Sivamurugan Pandian also warned Najib that he cannot afford to overlook Bersih 2.0′s demands.

“He has a duty to address it,” stressed the deputy dean of Universiti Sains Malaysia’s School of Social Sciences.

He said given Najib’s agenda to transform and reform the country, the prime minister must not hesitate to engage Bersih 2.0′s leadership.

On the same note, he said the Bersih leadership should also engage non-Pakatan Rakyat groups, including the Barisan Nasional backbenchers club, in its efforts to reform the balloting process.

“If Bersih is apolitical, the coalition of NGOs should do that,” he told FMT.

The academician also called on both BN and Pakatan to stop harping on the Bersih rally and move beyond it.

He said both coalitions should now work on their respective reform and transformation drives for the betterment of the country.

He said the current intense politicking by both sides over the rally was counter-productive.

“The country’s transformation and reform goals are not solely about Bersih 2.0. The politicking by both sides is taking the country nowhere. The rally is over… we should all move ahead,” he added.

Engage the silent majority

Sivamurugan said that both BN and Pakatan should also explore various ways to engage the silent majority, who did not take part in the rally.

He said nobody could actually gauge whether the silent majority was supportive or non-supportive of Bersih 2.0′s cause.

He said there was a possibility that the silent majority supported Bersih 2.0′s reform agenda on principle but was not keen in taking part in demonstrations.

“It can also be on the contrary,” he added.

Sivamurugan, who was at the rally as an observer, said the crowd was overwhelmingly dominated by ethnic Malays, who were urbanites.

“It seems urbanites are keen for electoral reforms. But then we could not gauge the rural sentiments on the subject,” he said.

Sivamurugan said all parties should cease their politicking and start engaging the people in a collective effort to bring about a comprehensive transformation and reformation.

“Bersih 2.0 is supposedly an apolitical coalition. So why should only politicians rumble over it. It’s the people who should be in the forefront of the reform agenda,” he said.