Bersih seeks global help to stop political violence

Bersih's global arm Global Bersih will also make similar calls to the United Nations and Britain.

PETALING JAYA: Election reform watchdog Bersih through its global arm Global Bersih wants foreign governments to play an active role to curb the increasing cases of political violence in Malaysia.

Global Bersih wants Australia to reassess its non-interference policy to curb political violence here.

“As a close and long-standing friend of Malaysia, Australia has an obligation to ensure democracy is unfettered, rather than turn a blind eye while supporting the Najib government’s empty rhetoric of reform.

“We call on Prime Minister Julia Gillard to request that Foreign Affairs Minister Bob Carr reconsider his stance of non-interference, after Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim recently called on the Australian government to help ensure Malaysia’s 13th general election are conducted freely and fairly,” said Global Bersih in a media statement today.

Anwar had urged the Australian government to play a pro-active role in ensuring Malaysia’s general election is free and fair due to rampant corruption during an interview in November last year.

He had also passed a handwritten note to Foreign Minister Bob Carr to express his concerns about the election, reported Radio Australia.

“Given Australia’s claim in upholding democratic values and political freedoms in the region following its new membership of the United Nation’s Security Council, Australia’s government and Senator Carr have an obligation to publicly call on Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his Umno-led Barisan Nasional government to respect and observe free and fair elections in practice as well as in principle,” it said.

Global Bersih listed down several acts of political violence and statements condoning political violence as evidence.

Among them are Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s Twitter message last Wednesday following parliament’s dissolution where he wrote: “We shall move to the warzone to kill all adverse political intruders.”

The group also listed the selected screening of Tanda Putera movie that highlights the racial riots that took place on May 13, 1969 as an agitation point.

It also pointed out the rampant case of phantom voters as seen in a suit filed by PKR vice president and Lembah Pantai MP, Nurul Izzah Anwar. Nurul’s case against the Election Commission was thrown out even though she presented evidence of 4,773 dubious voters in her constituency.

A similar call to British Prime Minister David Cameron and all politicians would be made in Britain today.

The statement calls on all British politicians, including the First Secretary of State and Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, William Hague, as well as the Labour Party and Shadow Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Douglas Alexander, to put political differences aside and together address the ‘democratic deficit’ in Malaysia.

A similar statement will also be sent to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, the United Nations Security Council and United Nations Human Rights Council.