The Home Ministry’s move to ban ‘Bersih 4’ t-shirts is laughable and is a show of a desperate government's inability to deal with diverse views.
This is the opinion of Bersih 2 steering committee chairman Maria Chin Abdullah, who said that the ministry does not realise that Malaysians have broken barriers and are able to deal with the culture of fear created by those in power, politics of race and using religion to divide and rule.
“The demands of Bersih 4 printed on the t-shirts are the people's call for democratic reform.
“We cannot go on having a failed political system that breeds corruption and an ailing econony.
“This is the time for every Malaysian to make a stand and demand for rationality.
“Be there and be proud of the Bersih 4 tees as it is a symbol of our fight to bring a sense of justice and stabilty to this beloved nation of ours,” she said in a statement today.
She also said that urgent arrest lawyers will be on standby to deal with any legal situation that may arise.
"The public should not need to worry," she said.
Maria Chin said this following the ministry’s move to ban any yellow clothing which carried the word 'Bersih 4' and any printed material and pamphlet which leads to Bersih 4.
In an order dated today, cited as the Printing Presses and Publications (Control of Undesirable Publications) (No 22) Order 2015, reads:
"The printing, importation, production, reproduction, publishing, sale, issue, circulation, distribution or possession of the publication described in the Schedule which is likely to be prejudicial to public order, likely to be prejudicial to security, likely to be contrary to any law and likely to be prejudicial to national interest are absolutely prohibited throughout Malaysia.”
The order, which will be effective from tomorrow, was made under Section 7(1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984, and was signed by Home Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
T K Letchumy Tamboo
Fri Aug 28 2015
MARIA CHIN: The demands of Bersih 4 printed on the t-shirts are the people's call for democratic reform.
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