BANGSAR, 18 Apr: Bersih 2.0 (the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections) urged the Kuala Lumpur police to swiftly act in overcoming political violence which is becoming rampant as the 13th General Elections (GE-13) draw near.
This is following recent disturbing events and the latest incident where a man was attacked by a group of men while installing party flags in Terengganu,
Bersih steering committee member, Zaid Kamaruddin said that the swift action of the Terengganu police should be praised in tracking and arresting those involved.
He said that the Kuala Lumpur police should take the same approach seeing that several police reports have been made by the PKR Vice-President, Nurul Izzah Anwar and other Pakatan Rakyat leaders with regards to violence and constant threat from unscrupulous people.
“Bersih 2.0 would like to remind the police that it is the responsibility of the police to ensure the safety of all Malaysians, including supporters and politicians.
“We are also disappointed because the police used scare tactics and that they do not ensure consistent action against violence and violations of the law across the country,” he said at a press conference.
Based on media reports, there have been many incidents of violence in the wake of the GE-13 being reported, including a police statement on 11 April that received 108 reports nationwide regarding cases of burning of party flags and fights between political supporters.
Prior to this, an incident happened in the Lembah Pantai Parliament where a campaign officer was threatened with a machete as well as an attack at the Lembah Pantai PKR control post.
In addition, Bersih 2.0 also raised the issue of abuse of government resources for election campaigns as done by the Minister of Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing, Senator Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin, in Lembah Pantai.
They also questioned the expenditure of RM73 million for advertising by the Prime Minister’s Office, as stated in earlier media reports.
“Millions of taxpayers’ money was spent. Into schemes and provisions since the dissolution of Parliament in what is seen as an effort to enhance the image of certain political parties competing in the elections,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bersih 2.0 calls on the people to continue to report any incidents of political violence or electoral misconduct to the authorities to address the issue.
A copy of the police report can also be sent to them for monitoring purposes.