Stay away from Dataran, urges FT MCA leader

Federal Territories MCA Youth chief Chiew Lian Keng has urged Bersih 3.0 to call off its rally at Dataran Merdeka because it will affect the rights of other Malaysians.

Chiew also urged green coalition Himpunan Hijau to abandon its plan to march from Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) to Dataran Merdeka to join the Bersih rally on April 28.

Chiew (left) warned that both activities will severely affect traffic flow and cause problems for city dwellers.

He said in a statement yesterday that even if the organisers were adamant to stage a rally, a procession is not necessary.

Chiew said that there should not be a repeat of the July 9 Bersih rally last year because of the negative economic impact that comes with it.

According to him, Bersih should focus on its cause for clean and fair elections and not be adamant of using Dataran Merdeka as a rally venue.

Dataran Merdeka ‘not appropriate’

Moreover, argued Chiew, Dataran Merdeka was not appropriate to hold rallies because it was not listed as an assembly venue under the Peaceful Assembly Act 2011 (PAA) and that the open square in the city centre has “historic significance”.

“Although the PAA has yet come into force, we should respect the spirit of the Act, which is to create an environment for the people to express themselves peacefully without disturbing others.”

He suspected there is a political agenda behind Bersih's insistence on holding the rally at Dataran Merdeka.

The MCA leader is worried that the rally will be hijacked by Pakatan Rakyat, turning it into a political platform for the opposition coalition to fish for votes in the upcoming general election.

“There will be no problem if there is a compromise on the issue of venue, why are they harping on this issue?”