Bersih

"Bersih", which means "clean" in Malay, is a coalition of Malaysian opposition political parties and NGO's with the stated aim of reforming the electoral process in Malaysia. Specifically, they demand the following reforms:

* The use of permanent ink to ensure that voters may only vote once.
* A clean out of the electoral rolls to remove entries that are no longer valid such as deceased people.
* The abolition of postal votes on the basis that they are easily abused.
* Perhaps most importantly, "Bersih" demands that all candidates and political parties have equal access to print and broadcast media.

10th of November 2007

On Saturday the 10th of November 2007, a rally organized by "Bersih" took place in the area of Kuala Lumpur around Dataran Medreka (Independence Square) and Istana Negara (The National Palace). It was a peaceful rally until Malaysian riot police attacked the protesters with tear gas and chemical bursts. 15 men including two women were arrested and no policemen were injured.

Future Protests

Bersih in the future may have another street demonstration if government extends the tenure of Election Commission (EC) chairperson Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman. On 20 November 2007, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Aziz tabled for first reading the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2007 that seeks to extend the retirement age of members of Election Commission (EC) from 65 to 66. Parliament passed legislation on 11 Dec to increase EC members' retirement age from 65 to 66. [ [http://www.mysinchew.com/node/4742?tid=4 Malaysia: Bersih May Stage Another Protest | My Sinchew ] ]

Bersih member organizations

Some of the component organizations that form Bersih are:

Political Parties:
- Parti Keadilan Rakyat (The Peoples Justice Party)
- Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) (The Islamic Party of Malaysia)
- Democratic Action Party (DAP)
- Parti Sosialis Malaysia (Socialist Party of Malaysia)
- Sarawak National Party (SNAP)

Non Government Organizations:
- Aliran Kesedaran Rakyat (The Peoples Flow of Awareness)
- All-Women’s Action Society (AWAM)
- Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM) (Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement)
- Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ)
- Citizens’ Health Initiative
- Civil Rights Committee (KLSCAH)
- Community Action Network
- ERA Consumer Malaysia (ERACON)
- Gabungan Mahasiswa Islam SeMalaysia (Coalition of Muslim Students Malaysia)
- Group of Concerned Citizens (GCC)
- Jaringan Rakyat Tertindas (JERIT) (Oppressed Citizens Network)
- Labour Resource Centre (LRC)
- Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC)
- Malaysia Youth & Student Democratic Movement (DEMA)
- Malaysian Voters Union (MALVU)
- National Human Rights Society (HAKAM)
- Pusat Janadaya (Janadaya Center)
- Pusat Komunikasi Masyarakat (The Center for Social Communication)
- Research for Social Advancement (REFSA)
- Save Ourselves (SOS Penang)
- Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia (Students Solidarity Malaysia)
- Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Voice of the People, Malaysia)
- Tamil Foundation
- Unit Pemikiran Politik, (Political Thinktank Unit)
- Women’s Development Collective (WDC)
- Writers Alliance for Media Independence (WAMI)

References

External links

* [http://www.bersih.org BERSIH official website]