Bersih 4.0 could influence next general election outcome - Kadir Jasin

The Bersih 4.0 rally this weekend could influence the public to reject Barisan Nasional (BN) in the next general election, said former editor in chief of New Straits Times Press (NSTP) Datuk A. Kadir Jasin.

The national laureate, however said if the 34 hour rally is aimed at urging Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to step down, it will not happen.

Kadir also believes that the rally will not trigger a change in the government’s leadership, as expected by many.

"If we are expecting Bersih on Saturday and Sunday (to) topple Najib, it will not happen. The demonstrations, street protests, will not change Najib.

"He will not stop just because we (the people) sweat and demonstrate. He will not stop, because if he had wanted to resign, he would have resigned.

"However, this rally is likely to influence the people’s choice of the ruling party in the upcoming election," said Kadir at the “Protes Rakyat atau Dewan Rakyat” (People's Protest or Dewan Rakyat) forum, organised by news portal Malaysiakini in Petaling Jaya last night.

Among the panellists involved were former deputy minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, Centre for a Better Tomorrow chief Gan Ping Sieu, and Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah.

Former deputy minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah meanwhile, stressed that Malaysians are tired of being fooled.

"In terms of the people, there is disappointment, anger. Earlier, when a deputy minister was fired, the people would view it as a political issue. Today when another deputy prime minister is sacked, the people do not only see it as a political issue. It is no longer a political issue, it is beyond politics," he said, referring to the dismissal of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in 1998 and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin this year.

The Bersih 4 rally scheduled to be held on August 29 and 30 has been declared illegal by the police following the failure of its organizers to provide a completed notice to the authorities.