People gathered at National Mosque moving towards the Palace
It is most encouraging for us who fought for human rights and democracy to see the large crowd present at the peaceful BERSIH assembly on Saturday.
I was really excited to see brave Malaysians who came out with yellow T shirts in full force to Dataran Merdeka and later to the Istana.
Look at the photos below, do you believe the figures quoted by PM and DPM in their statements that those who present was 4,000 people? No, it is about 40,000 people. The biggest crowd I have ever seen on street demonstration in Kuala Lumpur.
See, despite police road blocks for about two days at all major entries into Kuala Lumpur city centre, despite heavy rain that day, despite the LRT train being ordered to slow down, despite water cannons being sprayed on people, despite warning from PM and IGP on the possible arrests prior to the gathering, we still can get 40,000 people gather outside the road of Istana.
The BN leaders tried to blame BERSIH for causing massive traffic jam in KL. Don’t blame us as it was the police who set road blocks everywhere that caused the jam in KL. I wish to ask the rationale of police for sealing up Dataran Merdeka. Why sealed it?? If the police and authority have allowed people to gather peacefully at Dataran Merdeka, if the police have not used water cannon to spray chemicals on those who gathered around Dataran Merdeka, then they won’t run to Istana and jam the road in front of Istana. The police screwed-up by putting up road blocks and sealing Dataran Merdeka.
I really don’t understand why the PM took this gathering so personally by asking the people to not challenge him and not to join the demonstration. BERSIH’s target was the Elections Commission. We demanded free and fair elections to be conducted by EC, and we didn’t target the PM. Doesn’t the PM’s statement show executive interference in the Elections Commission, which supposed to be an independent body?
The participation of the rakyat in the peaceful assembly on Nov 10 shows people have presented our strongest demand to PM that the people demand free and fair elections in Malaysia. It’s time for the Elections Commission and BN to repent and refrain from conducting unlawful electoral practises.
People walked from Jalan Syed Putra towards the Palace
People who arrived at the road in front of the palace taking picture of this historical moment
Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng and me outside the palace, we were waiting for
Anwar Ibrahim to come to the palace
Lim Kit Siang, me, Lim Guan Eng and Tan Sri Khalid outside the palace
Strong FRU presence outside the palace, they detered the protestors from coming close to palace
Hi MP Teresa,
This is my first comment in your blog.
Re: IGP’s cooment that “the rally caused a lot of hardship and inconvenience to motorists” etc. was bullshit!
It was the police action that really caused misery and incovenience to thousands of law abiding motorists. They set up Road blocks at every road leading into the city EVEN FROM THE MORNIONG on 10 November. Thousand and thousand of motorists were “trapped” and unable to even turn-around and go home! Bersih organizers had again and again assured that the rally would be a peaceful one but IGP and his officers refused to believe them. With “4000” police on duty, “truck loads” of Field Force personel and (I am sure) hundreds of Special Branch people amongst the ‘demonstraters, how could the rally have not been peaceful, as assured (by Bersih)? By refusing the members of the rally to proceed peacefully, the police chose to prevent them, thus creating the situation to be robust, which of course “forced the police” to use water cannons and chemical spray. How pathetic can our police force be, what shame!
“I really don’t understand why the PM took this gathering so personally by asking the people to not challenge him and not to join the demonstration. BERSIH’s target was the Elections Commission. We demanded free and fair elections to be conducted by EC, and we didn’t target the PM.”
A man gripped by fear of the people can do and say many wrong things.
Great to be part of this rally!