Youths advised not to join Bersih 5 rally

Youths have been advised not to participate in the Bersih 5 rally planned to be held this Saturday at Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur as it does not bring any benefit.

Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said besides that, it was also feared that the rally would turn violent.

"Youths should not get involved in demonstrations, not because (the government) wants to restrict freedom but we have seen what had happened in Bersih 3 before, (in) which (some of the participants) turned aggressive.

"Police patrol cars were damaged and (some of the participants) attacked the police. We do not want things like this to happen," he told Malaysian reporters after visiting the MyCorps international volunteer project site at Kampung Anlong Samnar, here, Thursday.

Khairy is on a two-day working visit to Cambodia beginning yesterday.

Khairy who is also UMNO Youth chief, said the Bersih 4 rally was marred by the offensive actions of a number of its participants.

"Although no violent incidents took place, there were uncivil actions (by Bersih 4 participants) such as stomping on pictures of leaders. To me, it is better (for youths) to avoid participating in such a rally. This is because it can lead to actions that are frowned upon by society," he added.

Khairy also hoped that incidents that could jeopardise national security would not occur at the rally, if held.

"The rally (Bersih 5) should not be held, any demands can be made through the proper channels," he said.

On Nov 8, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said the Bersih 5 group had yet to fulfil the prerequisites to organise any mass gathering this Saturday. -- BERNAMA