LEAFLET
....A copy of an anti-Bersih leaflet purportedly distributed by the government
to taxi drivers as part of a public awareness campaign. — Picture courtesy of
Ambiga Sreenevasan
By : DEBRA CHONG
KUALA LUMPUR : Putrajaya has
declared 'war' on Malaysians keen for electoral reform, Datuk Ambiga
Sreenevasan said today after several anti-Bersih flyers bearing the
Information, Communication and Culture Ministry’s official logo were found in
the backseat of a taxi.
The prominent
lawyer-activist had sent out pictures of leaflets purportedly distributed by
the government to taxi drivers that paint the electoral reform movement as 'pengacau'
(rabble-rousers) despite two ongoing public inquiries into the chaotic April 28
rally in the capital city.
“I’m surprised and appalled
by the continuing attempts to demonise Bersih. It is improper in view of the
ongoing inquiries, both Suhakam’s and their own.
“It looks like the
government has declared war on Bersih. That means they are effectively
declaring war on the rakyat,” she told The Malaysian Insider over the phone.
The former Malaysian Bar
president, who heads Bersih with national laureate Datuk A. Samad Said, said
she found the leaflet objectionable because it presented a lopsided take on the
events that took place.
The flyer featured
photographs of Bersih supporters dressed in the signature yellow T-shirts
attacking police vehicles on one side, with the words “Hidup Biar Beradab Bukan
Biadap!” (Live Civilised, Not Like Savages!).
On the flipside, the flyer
stated: “Fikir-fikirlah dan jangan meyokong kumpulan pengacau yang degil dan
jangan diperalatkan.” (Think carefully and don’t support stubborn
rabble-rousing groups and don’t be manipulated).
Ambiga lambasted the Najib
administration for leaving out all mention of the authorities’ use of extreme
measures against the demonstrators, evidence of which has also been recorded.
“The leaflets are wholly
misleading and an irresponsible act,” she said.
She said she believed there
were some policemen on duty that day who had handled matters professionally,
but added there were groups that had targeted Bersih supporters and assaulted
them.
“I think we cannot deny and
they cannot deny, by their own disclosure, 960 canisters of tear gas were fired
into the crowd. To me, that is violence.
“Why is there no mention of
this?” she asked.
She added that the leaflets
were likely produced using public funds. She also questioned the timing of its
distribution.
Judging from the publication
code printed on the lower half of the page, the leaflets have been in
circulation since May this year as part of a public awareness campaign.
On July 5, Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Najib Razak had launched a government programme touting taxi drivers
as the country’s “ambassadors”, saying they could help boost the country’s
image through their daily interaction with tourists.
“If taxi drivers are polite,
courteous and customer-friendly, speak good things about the country and show a
positive attitude, tourists will feel welcomed.
“Tourists meet thousands of
taxi drivers and through their interactions, tourists’ perception of Malaysia
is formed,” he was reported as saying by The Star newspaper at the launch of
the Taxi Tourism Ambassadors programme in Putrajaya.
The April 28 rally that saw
tens of thousands gather at six different locations before heading to Dataran
Merdeka was peaceful until about 2.30pm when Bersih chief Datuk Ambiga
Sreenevasan asked the crowd to disperse.
But her announcement was not
heard by most of the crowd who continued to linger around the historic square,
which the courts had already barred to the public over the weekend.
Just before 3pm, some
protestors breached the barricade surrounding the landmark, leading police to
disperse the crowd with tear gas and water cannons.
Police then continued to
pursue rally-goers down several streets amid chaotic scenes, which saw violence
from both sides over the next four hours.
Several dozen demonstrators
have claimed that they were assaulted by groups of over 10 policemen at a time
and visual evidence appears to back their claim but police also point to
violence from rally-goers who attacked a police car.
The police car then crashed
into a building before some protestors flipped it on its side.
Najib has weighed in on the April
28 rally and labelled it an attempt to overthrow his democratically-elected
government. (TMI)
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