In retrospect: A look back at the wrong 'predictions' about Bersih 3.0

The first response to Bersih 3.0 was made by Home Minister, Hishamuddin Hussein when he said that Bersih 3.0 is not a security threat. He later admitted that the Najib’s administration had erred in the way they treated the civil society during Bersih 2.0 on July 9 last year.

As Home Minister, he behaves as though he has no power over the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and the police. While it is understandable that DBKL comes under the purview of the Federal Territory Minister, Raja Nong Chik, the police comes directly under Hishammuddin’s own ministry.

If he had said that Bersih 3.0 is not a security, why did he allow a police officer at the city level not to give permission for the sit-in protest at Dataran Merdeka, citing safety issues? Tell me, if 500,000 people throughout the world choose to sit down in protest against Najib’s administration tomorrow, how big is that a threat to national security?

Passing the buck but does it work?

Hishamuddin passed the buck to the police to act. Knowing very well that the government had erred in the way it treated the people in Bersih 2.0, is Hishammuddin now repeating history but trying to absolve his responsibility? Will the police take up the blame for the rest of their lives for fighting against the civil society?

Bersih 2.0 participants were unarmed. Neither will Bersih 3.0 participants choose to fight. The warning has been sent out to everyone that they should not even resist police arrest. “You can take in 100,000 citizens if you wish, we will all jam up the prison system in this country,” one of Bersih’s steering committee members, Dr Wong Chin Huat had said during a recent seminar.

Stop the accusing fingers

Next comes in the city mayor, behaving as though DBKL is the owner of Dataran Merdeka. Fuad Ismail said the Dataran Merdeka is only meant for celebrations at the national scale. Bersih 3.0 being an international movement of fellow Malaysians from 59 countries around the world is nothing significant enough for Fuad.

He then claimed that Bersih 3.0 is now a security issue. Has anything changed since Bersih 2.0 Steering Committee announced Bersih 3.0 would be held in a peaceful sit-in protest at Dataran Merdeka?

Has the Bersih 2.0 Steering Committee – big-time lawyer Ambiga, national laureate Pak Samad Ismail, university lecturer Dr Wong Chin Huat, social activist, Maria Chin, and the rest – suddenly become a threat to national security?

What about Bersih 3.0 participants tomorrow afternoon (April 28), comprising engineers, doctors, accountants, cartoonists, and Malaysians from all walks of life, including 66-year-old Auntie Bersih, suddenly become violent people that they should be a threat to national security? Fuad has to think twice before he opens his mouth.

GE-13 on the line

With a few thousand highly-disciplined Unit Amal personnel to marshall the crowd, since the police and the FRU chose not to facilitate the peaceful demonstration, Bersih 3.0 should end well by 4pm, a mere two hours of city life. Most of us who would never go to Kuala Lumpur on a Saturday afternoon have now decided to go downtown, bringing business to the shops there.

There is no need to lock down the entire Dataran Merdeka, because this is a public place that is rightfully owned by the people.

It still boils down to one person at the end of the day. Tomorrow’s showdown between Najib’s administration and the civil society will determine the results in the coming General Election. The people will not forgive Najib and the entire BN administration for failing to treat the civil society with dignity.

A two-hour demonstration will not harm anyone any more than to continue to defy the people’s wishes. I sound like an old record, but I have to reiterate: any government that continues to fight the people will not last very long. This could be the sign that the BN administration will be gone by the next General Election, despite us knowing that every fraud there is within the electoral process that will help BN to remain in power.

Najib WILL OPEN the barricades!

If Najib continues to ride roughshod on the civil society, I can foresee that in the coming General Election, there will be a political earthquake which shakes the entire nation. Putrajaya will not be spared.

I predict that come tomorrow, the prime minister, Najib Razak will at 13:59:59 hours, decide to open up the barricade and allow the demonstration to proceed peacefully for two hours.

This appears to be the entire strategy used by Putrajaya as I see it now unless it is blatantly foolish to continue using the hardliner’s approach amidst all the hype around Bersih 3.0.

This contribution was emailed to Malaysia Chronicle on April 27 but we could not run it as we then under heavy DDOS attack. It is still an interesting read, and sad to say, it reflects how badly Malaysians underestimated the political ruthlessness of the Umno-BN.