2024, 2025 critical years for democracy and reform: Bersih chair

 

Bersih has reminded Putrajaya that this year and the next are critical years to drive democratic transition as well as implement reforms.

Its chairperson Muhammad Faisal Abdul Aziz voiced concerns that if the reform agenda is not implemented now, it will be “buried” and Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration will never get the chance to execute it before the end of its full term.

“We have explained to PMX (Anwar) that ‘it’s the right time for you to implement the reform agenda’.

“There are state elections to be held in Sabah and Sarawak, followed by Malacca and Johor. Politicians will be busy talking about the elections.

“We don’t want reforms to be buried in the four-year period that the unity government has,” Faisal said during his policy speech at Bersih Congress held at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall today.

Anwar’s government has come under fire for its slow reform pace and lack of noticeable improvements and progress.

In a related development, Faisal expressed disappointment that the current reality of democracy is understood by politicians and those in power as merely to “complete the ladder to the peak of power”.

“Democratic rights are simply enshrined in the law without the understanding of the values of the people’s sovereignty,” he added.

He said the congress today is aimed at demanding reform and empowering democracy.

It is also to rekindle the people’s hope for reform, which will be followed up with actions towards that direction.

Bersih Congress at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall

Previously, in a statement, Bersih said the congress serves as a wake-up call for the coalition government to fulfil their reform promises.

It urged the civil society, youth, and the public to fight against the “collective amnesia” by some political elites who seem to have forgotten their reformist rhetoric. - Mkini