Bersih 2.0 Rally
Introduction
On June 9, 2011 the Bersih 2.0 Walk for Democracy was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to protest for free and fair or elections.
Malaysia gained its independence in 1957 and since then has been led by the Barisan Nasional Party. The federal ruling political party has been accused of corruption and discrepancies in electoral practices which resulted in the first Bersih Rally in November of 2007. The 2007 Bersih Rally called for:
-Usage of Indelible Ink
-Clean-up of Registered Voters Roll
-Abolition of Postal Votes
-Access to the government-controlled print and broadcast media for opposition parties
Reports from the 2007 rally indicated that up to 50,000 Malaysians packed the streets in a effort to voice their grievances in a peaceful, non-violent manner but were met by armed policemen, water canons and tear gas. Even though the Bersih 2007 Rally didn’t achieve all its goals, it was a stepping stone for the opposition electoral party in 2008 and it led to the Bersih 2011 Rally.
The video below expresses the thoughts of the Malaysian Prime Minister in a interview with Aljazeera.
The Challenge
The goal of both Bersih rallys were clean and fair elections. The 2011 protest was centered around acheving:
- cleanup of the electoral roll
- the user of indelible ink to prevent multiple voting
- the abolition of postal voting for military and police personnel
- fair access to the mass media for all parties
- introduce a minimum 21-day campaign period, allow all parties free access to the media, and put an end to electoral fraud
- Free and fair access to mainstream media
- Strengthen public institutions
- Stop corruption
- Stop dirty politics
The Players
Bersih- a coalition of 62 non-governmental organizations founded in November 2006 with the aim of revising the current electoral system to ensure fair elections in Malaysia. Bersih started out as a Joint Action Committee for electoral reform in July 2005 and grew into a large organization including many political party leaders and civil groups. Bersih and its member organizations are also responsible for the formation of the 2007 Bersih Rally and Bersih 2.0.
Barisan Nasional- formed in 1973 as the major national political coalition in Malaysia consisting of parties representing major racial and religious groups in Malaysia. It has been the ruling political party since independence and membership into the BN and its member parties must subscribe to the objectives of the constituent parties. The BN received a major blow in the aftermath of the 2008 general elections losing many parliamentary seats which was a major advantage to the member organizations of Bersih.
Pakatan Rakyat- an informal political Malaysian coalition and is the main opposition party against Barisan Nasional. This coalition was formed in 2008 directly after the 12th Malaysian general election and has gained significant recognition at the federal level now controlling five state assemblies. The state governments under this coalition strive for the same principles of secular, multi-racial, social democratic ideals.
Tools and Tactics
Video: Video multimedia was used effectively to broadcast and advertise their message and goals preceding the event. Music videos and footage from the Bersih 2007 rally was used as a platform to rally support for Bersih 2.0. During the event, Youtube was used as a mechanism to livestream actual footage of the event from protesters on site. Also following the event, sharing video footage became pivotal in keeping people informed of events following the protest such as violent outbreaks.
Facebook: Bersih 2.0 used Facebook to spread their message and goals of their campaign as well as to gain support and raise awareness from the international community. Photos, videos, events and widespread information was avaliable and updated daily by organizers and supporters of the group.
Twitter: The organizers used the Twitter handle @Bersih2 to keep supporters connected, updated and informed instantly on the latest coverage on the campaign. Status and comment updates were tweeted and re-tweeted and followers were continuously apart of the global effort.
Banners and Posters:- Used as a mechanism to promote the rally and at the same time emphasize the objectives of Bersih. Yellow became the campaigns official color and all banners and posters advertising the event had the slogan of “We are for free and clean elections”.
The Stumbling Blocks
Even though remaining non-violent was a pillar of the organizers' strategy, they they were met with many brutal policeman, tear gas and water bombs. Bersih 2.0 Walk for Democracy had asked the police to walk alongside them without intimidation and violence but the police did not partake. The protestors were denied the access of a permit to march the streets and were forced to hold their rally inside the Stadium Merdeka.
More than 1,400 people were arrested by the police out of the 50,000 that Bersih claims were present. Chairman of Bersih 2.0 and activist, Ambiga Sreenevasan, noted that more rallies are inevitable in gaining the government’s attention stating:
“Immediately, we want a more level playing field for the 13th General Elections. But apart from that, in the last six weeks, I think Bersih has become more than just a movement for electoral reform. I think that there is a real yearning for a higher standard of democratic values. People are utterly, utterly shocked by the abuse of power displayed by the government. So it has also become about the integrity of our institutions and the manner of governance and the abuse of power. I think people were very moved by that, and that is why we got the numbers that we did”.
Outcome
Malaysia's head of state, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Mizan Zaina Abidin, issued a statement on 3 July urging moderation by all parties stating: "street demonstrations bring more bad than good although the original intention is good," and called for Bersih to resolve its differences with the government peacefully.The Bersih organizers, however, do not feel significant changes have occured and will continue their movement to end corruption in Malaysian government.
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