Rally supporters abroad facing intimidation, threats, says Global Bersih

Global Bersih says the Bersih 4 rallies in nearly 70 cities worldwide will be in line with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as local laws, customs, cultures and practices. – Bersih Facebook pic, August 28, 2015.

Putrajaya is intimidating organisers and would-be participants of Bersih rallies around the world, Global Bersih said today, as Malaysians overseas prepare to gather in nearly 70 different cities tomorrow in solidarity with the Bersih 4 rallies in Malaysia.

Global Bersih said it had learnt that Malaysian scholarship students overseas were threatened with revocation of their scholarships, while organisers faced problems with the local police due to "misleading reports" from Malaysian embassies.

"Reports of Malaysian scholarship students abroad receiving threatening official letters that raise the revoking of their scholarships and warnings against participating in any Bersih-related activity are deeply disappointing and counter-productive.

"At the same time, we are also appalled that a number of Global Bersih solidarity rally organisers have been approached or have had to meet their respective local police forces because of misleading reports by Malaysian embassies about allegedly disruptive Bersih rallies across the world," said Global Bersih president Colin Rajah.

He said the rallies would be in line with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as well as local laws, customs, cultures and practices.

"We wholeheartedly reject all efforts to discredit our gatherings in almost 70 cities around the world.

"We denounce all attempts to smear, provoke, incite fear, intimidate and threaten our events and participants," said Colin.

The Bersih 4 rally, which has been declared illegal by the police, is taking place this weekend in Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu as well as in major cities around the world.

The rally, organised by electoral reform group Bersih 2.0, is pressing for institutional reform, the freedom to protest, measures to save the economy and a clean government and political system.

Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah said the rally would be akin to a vote of no confidence against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is under pressure to account for alleged scandals involving his brainchild 1Malaysia Development Bhd and RM2.6 billion deposited into his personal accounts.

- TMI