Blackout 505 rallies will go on, says organiser

The Blackout 505 rallies will continue next month in order to reject the result of the 13th general election, the organising director for the rallies, Johari Abdul, said today.

Johari said the rallies would continue until Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and the Election Commission (EC) agree to fulfil the three demands the people have raised.

These are for the top heads of the EC to resign from their posts; for fresh elections to be conducted in 30 parliamentary seats; and to postpone any amendment to the election law and the constituency re-delineation exercise.

"Until now, more than a half-a-million Malaysians from all different races and age groups have joined the Blackout 505 rallies," Johari said.

"The rallies have become a symbol of the rakyat's political awareness, representing the majority of the more than 51 percent who in GE13 supported reforms and change in this country," he told a press conference at the PKR headquarters in Petaling Jaya today.

According to Johari, four states will organise 505 rallies in June. These will be in Perlis on June 10; in Sungai Petani, Kedah, on June 11; in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, on June 12 and in Batu Pahat, Johor, on June 14.

He said the organisers would seek permission from the police for all the forthcoming rallies.

The series of rallies had before this attracted a string of actions from the authorities against the organisers.

Last Monday, four Pakatan leaders, two in Perak and one each in Negeri Sembilan and Penang, were charged under the Peaceful Assemblies Act 2012 (PAA) for holding the rallies without giving due notice to the police.