The March 27 rally should be more than just a vessel for Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to fulfil his agenda of removing Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, electoral reforms coalition Bersih 2.0 said today.
Its chairman Maria Chin Abdullah expressed reservations about the rally mooted by the former prime minister’s ally Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, saying the agenda was unclear.
“It really doesn’t matter who are the people behind it. But the agenda is not clear and that is very important. It shouldn’t just be about Dr Mahathir’s agenda, which is asking Najib to resign.
“Malaysia has to go beyond that. We need changes to stop corruption, abuse of power by the police and the judiciary. The fundamentals need to be changed, not just the people on top,” Maria told The Malaysian Insider.
Bersih was invited to take part in the gathering, but Maria said the steering committee would have to meet and discuss the issue first before deciding whether to join.
She said as a coalition comprising dozens of civil society groups, a consensus on the matter would take a long time.
The reason why Malaysia’s UMNO party is the longest ruling political group in the entire world is because the Malaysian opposition groups prefer to squabble with each other.
Take Sarawak, where opposition parties are at each others throats about who will have the right to lose in seats where (with various noble exceptions) they have failed to put sufficient effort into winning.
Of course, reform and a return to the rule of law is the yearning of every rightful citizen, outside of the blood-sucking political and business elite in Malaysia.
But, you won’t get it with Najib in place, since he is the embodiment of the present corruption.
So, while the NGOs understand what reforms are needed, they should take it from Malaysia’s old political fox when it comes to political action and they should show willing to make practical alliances with former foes.
Najib needs showing a message from a united front – it is a message not only to him, but to all who come after him.
First change and then reform. Malaysians need to learn to unite. They can negotiate in the process.