Hishammuddin and Police should respect the Yang di Pertuan Agong

The Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and the police should respect and uphold the Yang di Pertuan Agong’s wise and just intervention in the Bersih 2.0 impasse by full co-operation with Bersih to make the July 9 Bersih 2.0 stadium rally a peaceful and orderly one as well as end all harassment against persons for wearing Bersih T-shirt and other paraphernalia and release all such items seized in past 10 days.

Hishammuddin and the police should pay special heed to advice by the Yang di Pertuan Agong in his special statement on Sunday where he said:


"I also urge the government to carry out everything that is entrusted to it by the people in a just and wise manner, and it is important that I, as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, do not want to see this country with a plural society in a situation where there is animosity among them or a section of the people being enemies with the government, on whatever grounds.”

If the Yang di Pertuan Agong’s advice is not heeded, both Hishammuddin and the police run the risk of being regarded by large sections of Malaysians as being defiant and even disloyal to the commands of the Yang di Pertuan Agong.

This will be unprecedented and the last thing that Malaysia needs under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia concept!

The advice by the Yang di Pertuan Agong that "When any problem arises, we as a civilised society must resolve it through consultations and not follow our emotions” must always be uppermost in the minds of the authorities, particularly the Home Minister and the Police.

For this reason, Malaysians are concerned that Hishammuddin and the Police have yet to respond to the Yang di Pertuan Agong’s intervention by standing down its apparatus of repression, stop all harassment against Bersih supporters including persons wearing Bersih 2.0 T-shirts and other related paraphernalia and take positive steps to facilitate the peaceful and orderly holding of the July 9 Bersih 2.0 stadium rally.

The statement by the Prime Minister, passing the buck to the police to decide whether to proceed with its nation-wide pre-Bersih rally clampdown on supporters, is most irresponsible.

It is just not right and not in keeping with the office and responsibilities of a Prime Minister for Najib to say: “That is the police’s action. You have to ask the police” when asked if he would order the release of all those detained in connection with the rally.

Najib should know that as Prime Minister, he must always be reminded of the injunction: “The buck stops here!”

Let Hishammuddin and the police demonstrate that they are in the national forefront in respecting and upholding the Yang di Pertuan Agong’s wise and just intervention by:

1. Release all persons detained in past 10 days in connection with the Bersih 2.0 rally for free, fair and clean elections and dropping all charges against them;
   
2. Release Sungai Siput MP Dr. Michael Jayakumar and PSM members detained under Emergency Ordinance;
   
3. Return all seized Bersih T-shirts and other related paraphernalia; and
   
4. Appointment of a senior Police Officer to liaise with Bersih to facilitate and ensure the holding of a peaceful and orderly Bersih 2.0 stadium rally on July 9.

Lim Kit Siang