The minister said all three groups were persisting despite being warned against holding their rallies
The Home Ministry will flex its muscles ahead of the Bersih rally next month, announcing that organisers of all three assemblies will be hauled up by Bukit Aman today.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein also confirmed today that the three — Bersih 2.0, Umno Youth and Perkasa — would not be granted permits for their planned gatherings on July 9.
“My statement today is that all three parties will not be granted permits to gather on that date. I am saying that categorically, all three of them will not get it.
“Secondly, I have already stated that immediate action must be taken on this matter and PDRM (Royal Malaysian Police) will call all parties involved because although we have said that we are not going to grant them permits, the statements from Perkasa, Umno Youth or Bersih, indicate that they plan to proceed,” he told reporters after attending a meeting in Parliament today.
The rally this July 9 is the brainchild of election watchdog Bersih, who plans to gather hundreds of thousands in a march to push for free and fair elections.
Perkasa has also launched its counter-protest and promised to join the July 9 march with at least 20 buses from each of the 10 peninsular Malaysian states, in addition to supporters from 164 other non-governmental organisations.
Despite acknowledging the government’s refusal to legalise the rallies, Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin has vowed to defy his predecessor in the wing, saying it is every Malaysian’s democratic right to assemble publicly.
Hishammuddin added that he hoped the Election Commission (EC) will be given the opportunity to meet with Bersih and determine the group’s “actual purpose” for the rally.
“Is it simply to seek for transparency and justice in the context of democracy? Or are they also linking it to other issues that are political in nature, or combining it with racial matters, which could jeopardise public safety. My priority is the people’s safety,” he said.
Hishammuddin, however, did not say if there were any plans to investigate Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali for sedition for purportedly threatening the Chinese with a statement last Sunday.
During the launch of his counter-protest, Ibrahim told the Chinese community to stay home if the Bersih rally proceeds and stock up on food for “anything could happen”.
“I already said the police will call the three parties... not only Ibrahim Ali. They will be called today, but we do not know if they will come today,” said Hishammuddin.
Ibrahim denied yesterday that he had intended to threaten the Chinese with his statement, claiming he was merely offering “advice” to the community.
