Bersih: Wear yellow every Saturday

Posted by: raja petra

Malaysians were urged to wear yellow every Saturday in a protest against the government, after a rally calling for election reform was suppressed with water cannons and tear gas.



The organisers of last Saturday's rally, which despite heavy rain and a government ban drew 40,000 people in the biggest turnout in a decade, selected yellow as the colour of "people power".



"We are asking everyone nationwide to wear yellow on every Saturday. It can be a yellow cap, a yellow shirt, a yellow ribbon ... just anything yellow," said Syed Azman Syed Nawawi from the opposition Islamic party PAS.



The protest movement, a coalition of opposition parties and civil society groups known as Bersih, is pushing for reforms including a clean-up of the electoral roll and an end to postal votes.



They handed a protest memorandum to the king during the rally and said Tuesday they would also meet the country's nine state sultans to press for reforms.



Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is expected to call snap polls early next year, has denounced the protesters for involving the king who is highly respected but has a largely ceremonial role and usually stays out of politics.



"We do not want to drag in the king and the sultans but who else can we appeal to," Syed Azman said at a press conference along with other opposition leaders.



"The government and the election commission have turned a deaf ear. So we turn to the king who is the protector of the people and the constitution," he said.



Syed Azman said that four Bersih leaders have been summoned to report to police headquarters on Thursday.



Police have said that 245 people were detained during the protests, although organisers and rights groups say that is an exaggeration and only 36 people were arrested.



Reports said today that the parents of 18 children detained at the rally will be charged with engdangering their children.



"It was an irresponsible act and wrong of the adults to bring children to the rally," police chief Musa Hassan said according to the New Straits Times. - AFP