Sniped with accusations that it’s working towards destabilising the country, electoral reform movement Bersih has struck back at former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s statements yesterday on circumscribing democratic institutions in Malaysia in order to preserve democracy.
In a report by The Malay Mail Online, Bersih chairman Maria Chin Abdullah said yesterday that the “continuous accusations that street protests are linked with “wanting to overthrow the government”” by Tun Dr Mahathir and the Barisan Nasional government was a reflection of their “intolerance for different views”.
“Such archaic approaches, I am afraid are no longer acceptable and Malaysian people are much much smarter,” Maria said in a statement yesterday, in response to Tun Dr Mahathir’s latest post on his personal blog.
Yesterday, Mahathir stated on his blog that Malaysian democracy will be destroyed if the hallmarks of a democratic society – free speech, a free press, and the right to demonstrate and strike – are abused in the name of democracy. He also namechecked Bersih in particular for being a destabilising factor in Malaysian politics, stoking public discontent to try and overthrow the BN-led Federal Government.
Maria argued the clean and fair elections, good governance and an adherence to the rule of law were all vital elements of the very democracy that Dr Mahathir said was at risk from protests and other forms of dissent.
She also dismissed Mahathir’s claim that Bersih’s efforts to organise massive street rallies demanding free and fair elections were aimed at toppling the government, adding that Putrajaya should not limit public demonstrations to “stifle dissent”.
She stressed that freedom of expression is a constitutional right, which citizens should be able to exercise freely without “fear or favour”.
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