Malaysia Today.

If you are a Malaysian and have yet to read on the recent news or even not knowing what the "BERSIH" campaign is about, Please let me fill you in.

Bersih, literally the word 'bersih' means 'clean' in the Malay language, however, Bersih (Malay: Gabungan Pilihan Raya Bersih dan Adil) is a coalition of Malaysian opposition political parties and NGOs with the stated aim of reforming the electoral process in Malaysia. Specifically, they demand the following reforms:

1. A clean out of the electoral rolls to remove entries that are no longer valid such as deceased people.
2. The use of permanent ink to ensure that voters may only vote once.
2. The abolition of postal votes on the basis that they are easily abused.
3. Perhaps most importantly, Bersih demands that all candidates and political parties have equal access to print and broadcast media.


The 2007 Bersih Rally was a rally held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on November 10, 2007. The aim of this walk was to campaign for electoral reform. It was precipitated by allegations of corruption and discrepancies in the Malaysian election system that heavily favor the ruling political party, Barisan Nasional, which has been in power since Malaysia achieved its independence in 1957.

It was reported that the rally participants played a 'cat and mouse' game with the riot police, as many of the groups were repeatedly stopped by the police and disallowed from continuing.

The group from Masjid Jamek were sprayed with water canons and tear gas canisters, but still managed to continue their march by joining the group congregating in front of the Sogo departmental store.

The group from Pasar Seni, led by Tian Chua attempted to pass through police barricades that blocked them from approaching the palace. This group also tried to negotiate with the police. As the negotiations were going on, this group found an alley that was not guarded by riot police, hence being able to bypass the police to get to the palace.

500 people from the Pasar Seni group joined part of the Sogo group to continue their march. Meanwhile, 10,000 people from Masjid Negara had begun marching to Istana Negara. They split into two groups to increase the chance of reaching Istana Negara.

A combined group of 40,000 people, stretching half a kilometer long along the highway were stopped by police 300 meters from the palace grounds. They were eventually joined by the group from Masjid Jamek and Sogo.

The illegal rally was dispersed by Malaysian riot police with tear gas and chemical bursts. 15 men including two women were arrested and no policemen were injured.

Following the initial rally, Bersih indicated it may hold another street demonstration if government extended the tenure of Election Commission (EC) chairperson Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman. On 20 November 2007, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Aziz tabled for first reading the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2007 that sought to extend the retirement age of members of Election Commission (EC) from 65 to 66. Parliament passed legislation on 11 Dec to increase EC members' retirement age from 65 to 66.

Accordingly, Bersih scheduled a second street demonstration for 9 July 2011, ahead of the anticipated 2012 national Malaysian elections. Plans for the demonstration were extensively criticised by the government and pro-government media, and the police arrested a number of Bersih supporters in the lead-up to the event. After being granted an audience with the King to discuss the issue, Bersih subsequently agreed on 5 July 2011 to move the rally from the streets to a stadium.

Prime minister Najib said claims that elections are unfair "did not make sense," adding that the opposition are using instability to their political advantage. He challenged them to take on the government in the polls instead. The Home Minister, Hishamuddin, responding to early reports announcing the rally, criticised public demonstrations in particular. He slammed Bersih for trying to "instill hatred" and "show the world that our country is chaotic." Deputy Prime Minister Muhiyiddin Yassin said the planned rally is "undemocratic" and claimed that it is supported only by a small segment of the population. He also warned of foreign powers taking advantage of instability in Malaysia.

UMNO encouraged business operators and taxi drivers to sue Bersih for any losses that may be caused by the rally.

Anyways, in my opinion
The government themselves can't deny the citizens of Malaysia to ask for a need in a drastic change in the governing system. By denying that, you're denying the population's demands for changes. And by denying the population's demand for changes, isn't that tyranny?
By definition, Tyranny is "One who rules without law, looks to his own advantage rather than that of his subjects, and uses extreme and cruel tactics -- against his own people as well as others.

What is the result of "BERSIH" 2.0? Nobody knows. But one thing's for certain. Something will be embedded in Malaysians of today and Malaysia would be in the headlines of many countries in these few days.