Media statement by Lim Kit Siang in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, 5^th July 2011: 

Police should immediately stand down its apparatus of repression and decriminalize Bersih and yellow Bersih T-shirts so that tens of thousands can be printed

The Yang di Pertuan Agong’s wise and just intervention resulting in agreement for a July 9 Bersih 2.0 rally in a stadium has saved the day for Malaysia, sparing her the infamy and ignominy inside the country and worldwide at the farce of a democratic government treating a peaceful rally for free, fair and clean elections as a grave national threat even greater than one ever posed by terrorists or enemies of the country in the nation’s history.

Equally important, Malaysia is also spared the international embarrassment of her credentials and qualifications as a member of the UN Human Rights Council questioned or even censured by other countries because of a most egregious crackdown on the most basic and fundamental of human rights in Malaysia.

Several steps must be taken immediately to return the country to the course of sanity, good and common sense abandoned by the government in the past ten days.

As a first step, the Police should immediately stand down its apparatus of repression in the past two weeks, when the police abandoned and abdicated its first task to keep the people and country safe from criminals by going on a nation-wide mobilization against imaginary foes in the form of Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9.

All police personnel in the country should be directed immediately to go back to their most important duties of keeping the streets and homes of Malaysians safe and free from crime.

The Police should also immediately decriminalize Bersih and Bersih 2.0 T shirts so that tens of thousands of Bersih T-shirts could be printed in the next three days for those attending the Bersih 2.0 rally in a stadium on Saturday.

Finally, all persons arrested in connection with the Bersih 2.0 rally, including for wearing yellow Bersih 2.0 T-shirts whether outside or as inner garment should be released unconditionally, with all charges withdrawn and dropped – including the ridiculous Emergency Ordinance charges against the Sungai Siput MP Dr. Michael Jayakumar and all the other PSM members.

*Lim Kit Siang, DAP Parliamentary Leader & MP for Ipoh Timor