Friday, September 28, 2012

Bersih to govt: A rock concert reminder



Failing to win the government's ear for clean and fair elections, electoral reform group Bersih will again rock the government - this time not with street protests but with punk and rock bands.

Bersih will be organising a concert aimed at jogging the Election Commission's memory that it has yet to fulfill the movement's [eight-point demand] for electoral reform, said the Bersih steering committee in a statement yesterday.

bersih 3 rally 080512 hs 04It noted that five months after over 100,000 people took to the streets of Kuala Lumpur on April 28 demanding reform, the government was still unwilling to listen.

"In the months since the historic Bersih 3.0 peaceful assembly, the government has focused its attention on attacking the Bersih steering committee in various ways instead of getting down to the much-needed electoral reforms.

"The authorities are pursuing legal actions against the steering committee and the Kuala Lumpur City Council (DBKL) has threatened hefty summons ," it said.
Never say die attitude
Nevertheless, the committee has continued its effort to raise awareness on discrepancies in the electoral roll.

"However, more needs to be done," it added. One answer - a concert at Stadium Kelana Jaya on Oct 13.

"This concert event will not only be for fund raising but will be fun and memorable and also serve as a reminder to the government leaders of their duty to heed the call for urgent reforms.

"Malaysians will not accept anything less than a thorough clean-up of its electoral system and we will not hesitate to come together once again to make our voices heard," the committee said.

Among the performers lined up are Ito, Julian Mokhtar and the Gang, Soul Saviors (the winners at Pesta Lagu Jalanan), Republic of Brickfields, punk band Dum Dum Tak punk band, Canto rock band Hui Se De Dai and Ray Cheong.

"There will also be Bersih activities for all ages and a special song by the Bersih steering committee. National laureate A Samad Said co-chairperson of Bersih will also read a special poem at this event."

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