BERSIH loses its plot since Maria Chin

Some events mentioned might have being long passed but the topic refers to BERSIH.


Star Online (29 Feb) - Bersih voices conditional support for Dr M:

KUALA LUMPUR: Bersih 2.0 has come out in support of a new government led by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (pic), provided that it upholds the mandate of the people as established in the 14th General Election (GE14).

It said between Dr Mahathir and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Bersih supports a government led by Dr. Mahathir and added that the government has to be a Pakatan Harapan government.

FMT - Bersih 2.0 throws support behind Dr M:

PETALING JAYA: The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) today expressed its support for Dr Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister to form the new government amid the ongoing political crisis.

Bersih 2.0, which on Monday called for fresh parliamentary elections, today said that given the choice between interim prime minister Mahathir and Muhyiddin Yassin, the electoral reform group supports a government led by Mahathir.

Just who the Eff does BERSIH thinks it is, to support Party (or Candidate) A, Party (or Candidate) B or Party (or Candidate) Z?

BERSIH was formed to reform the current electoral system in Malaysia to ensure free, clean and fair elections.

It was not for BERSIH to show its political preference.

In 2007 it had just 4 aims, namely:

1. Clean up of the electoral roll
2. Use of indelible ink
3. Abolition of postal voting for military and police personnel
4. Free and fair access to mass media for all parties

In 2011 it increased that demand to 8, namely:

1. Clean up of the electoral roll
2. Reform of postal ballot
3. Use of indelible ink
4. Minimum 21 days of campaign period
5. Free and fair access to mass media for all parties
6. Strengthening of public institutions
7. No corruption
8. No dirty politics

The following year (2012) it added 2 more, namely (see dot-points 1 and 3 below):

• Resignation of the existing Electoral Commission
• Implementation of the 8 demands before the 13th general election
• Observation of the 13th general election by international observers

In short BERSIH was a politically non-aligned NGO in order for ALL political parties to listen to its advice and recommendations.

That intended 'neutral' status was best exemplified in 2011 by its then-Chair Ambiga Sreenevasan telling Anwar Ibrahim (PKR Boss) to keep his 'hands off' BERSIH.

According to Wikipedia: PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabugave the rally his party's full backing. Calling the event the "Walk for Democracy," he asked for 300,000 PAS members to attend the gathering. PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang ordered all of its members (numbering one million) to join the rally. The Leader of the Opposition, Anwar Ibrahim, will also take part in the rally. The DAP also pledged support for the rally.

But Anwar being Anwar, attempting to seize the moment, any moment, for his own glorification (as usual, wakakaka), pompously said to his PKR members that he would ask Ambiga to cancel the rally if the government met Bersih's demands.

Ambiga was annoyed by Anwar's intrusion-into-BERSIH business, riposting acerbically that the decision to continue with the planned Bersih 2.0 rally would be made by civil society groups and not any political party.

Ambiga wanted to distance herself and BERSIH from any political party's comment or influence, fearing the BN government would accuse BERSIH of being an anti government movement, and thus negating its principal aim, its influence on reforms of the electoral system.

Thus she stated pointedly and brilliantly: “With due respect, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, this decision is not yours. Sorry PKR, civil society will lead the assembly.”

But when Maria Chin Abdullah took over from Ambiga Sreenevasan in 2013, the new Chair started to change the role of BERSIH from one of specifically 'reforming the Malaysian then electoral system to ensure free, clean and fair elections' into embracing the activities of monitoring and raising issues of general anti-corruption - 'general' anti-corruption unlike the 2011 point No 7 of anti-corruption related to the electoral process.

Thus Maria Chin turned BERSIH into a more politically aligned NGO, one which assumed an anti-BN stance.

Why she did so may be a nice thesis for a PhD aspirant to look into, wakakaka, but I would recommend understanding her background and family matters as a starting point, wakakaka again.

Not surprising, after her BERSIH stint, she enters into active political participation (unlike Ambiga), becoming a member of PKR, though initially as a self-proclaimed Independent wearing PKR colours, but subsequently, alas, as a faction member in PKR aligned to Azmin Ali's Dwarfs (Kartel).

Some mateys explained to me her entry into politics had been largely sponsored (financially) by the Dwarf.

In the recent party imbroglio between Anwar and Azmin, she sided with Azmin against PKR Party president Anwar Ibrahim.   

Earlier under her, BERSIH began to lose its non-aligned shine and consequently neutral credibility, and has not recovered since.

BERSIH anti LYNAS? 

BERSIH anti Najib? 

Kerajaan bersih?
Selamatkan ekonomi
Hak membantah?

apa 'tu? cakap ayam?
were above related to
'reforming the Malaysian electoral system to ensure free, clean and fair elections'?

This recent pompous declaration by BERSIH on whom it supports in the PM8 tussle is typical of the consequences of the 2013 deviation of BERSIH, started by Maria Chin, when she altered (and thus destroyed) the politically non-aligned (politically neutral) nature of the NGO and its previous highly respected credibility (achieved under Ambiga Sreenevasan).

WTF has it got to do with 'reforming the Malaysian then electoral system to ensure free, clean and fair elections'?

Well, eff off BERSIH.