Janji Bersih rally to make sure gov't 'tepati janji'

Dismissing accusations that Bersih is politicising the Merdeka celebration with its own countdown them, its co-chairperson A Samad Said said the Bersih event is intended to hold the government to its 'Janji Ditepati' (Promises Fulfilled) theme on electoral reform.

The countdown is not an exclusively Bersih event as some 26 other NGOs are taking part in it, the respected national laureate, who is widely known as Pak Samad, added.

"The struggle is to demand ‘Janji Bersih' (the promise to be clean) for the people and is not exclusively by Bersih. Bersih is one of the NGOs involved," he said.

Samad said this yesterday in response to inspector-general of police Ismail Omar's call not to politicise the Merdeka celebration with the 'Janji Bersih' event due to be held at the same time and place where the national countdown will be held.

He called on the police not to stop members of the public donning the electoral reform movement's trademark yellow colour to the Merdeka countdown.

"It is not right for the inspector-general of police to look at this as a police versus Bersih matter," he said.

However, the poet said, the movement will join in the Dataran Merdeka national countdown.

"Dataran Merdeka is symbolic in the struggle to free ourselves from the colonial masters. What is wrong about it?" he asked.

He also called on members of the public to participate in the event to ensure that 'Janji Bersih' is fulfilled.