56 NGOs slam gov't for persecuting Bersih chief

A coalition of 56 NGOs representing churches, women, students' and other activist groups issued a joint statement tonight condemning what they described as a witch-hunt against Bersih leaders.

This follows the government's move to charge Bersih leaders with not providing adequate notice to the authorities for the Bersih 4 rally in August.

The two-day protest attracted more than 100,000 people at its peak and demanded for Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to step down over several scandals including the discovery of RM2.6 billion in his personal bank accounts.

Their joint statement is as follows:

'We, the undersigned civil society organisations, condemn in the strongest terms the witch-hunt of Bersih leaders for successfully organising the the historic Bersih 4 rally on Aug 29 and 30, a cynical attack on right to dissent and the very idea of accountable government.

The witch-hunt of the two Bersih leaders - and possibly more political activists - is a cynical mockery of Article 10(1)(b) of the federal constitution which provides for the freedom of peaceful assembly.

The electoral lobby's chair Maria Chin Abdullah and its vice-chair (Sabah) Jannie Lasimbang were charged respectively on Nov 3, 2015 and Oct 21, 2015 under Section 9(1) of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 (PAA 2012) for failure to serve the police a 10-day notice.

When the communication between Bersih and the police not only took place but was even reported widely in the media, when the Bersih rally was amazingly peaceful despite its scale (cumulatively 500,000 participants) and its length (34 hours), these prosecutions are nothing but persecution of those who dare to exercise their constitutional freedom.

The real 'crime' that Maria and Jannie committed together with 500,000 Malaysians is demanding an accountable government and believing that citizens have the right to call for a government that betrays their trust to resign.

When demanding an accountable government is a crime, Malaysia is pushed towards worsening economic lethargy and political instability.

Citizens are pushed to either give up on changes or believe that changes can never happen under peaceful means. The former response leads to brain drain and capital flight while the latter makes them susceptible to radical means.

Ironically, the witch-hunt validates the Bersih 4 rally's demands for institutional reforms, most notably, the right to dissent.

We urge millions of Malaysians who support the Bersih 2.0's cause for democratisation to stand firm with Maria and Jannie, who are now the face of Malaysians' moral courage and determination for change at the nation's trying time.

For both the sanctity of the federal constitution and political stability, we call upon the Attorney-General's Chambers to come to their senses and withdraw the charges.' -Mkini