Street protests not going to make me bow out, says PM

- Reuters

TOKYO: With hours to go before the planned Bersih rally in Kuala Lumpur, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak (pic) says he will not be cowed by street protests into stepping down.

The Prime Minister said he would accept and respect the will of the people only when the general election is called.

“Any other attempt to overthrow the Government before then would be unconstitutional,” he reiterated.

Najib called for the rule of law to prevail and for no physical clash between the opposing groups, pointing out that street protests would only lead to chaos in the country.

“We have seen this happening in many countries.

“Even the so-called Arab Spring was heralded as an era of change, but instead, it caused misery to the people who were involved in the countries concerned,” he told Malaysian journalists as he wrapped up his three-day visit to Japan yesterday.

(The Arab Spring was a series of anti-government protests, uprisings and armed rebellions that spread across the Middle East in early 2011).

Najib, who will travel to Peru to attend the Apec Leaders Summit which begins tomorrow, was asked about his views on the increasing tension back home with simultaneous street rallies being planned by election reform group Bersih and the pro-government Red Shirts group.

Concerns are growing that Bersih and Red Shirt supporters could clash at the rally, with police warning of stern action against those who disrupt the peace.

On the involvement of the Red Shirts to counter the Bersih group, Najib said he did not want any physical clash between the groups.

“They have to act according to the law and abide by whatever instructions the police give.

“Obviously, I can’t guarantee anything. My decision has always been that one must respect the rule of law and not create trouble and chaos.

“That (street protests) is not going to be good for us, and that is not an accepted culture in our country,” he added.

Bersih 2.0 said in a statement that it had submitted the 10-day notice required under the Peaceful Assembly Act for its Nov 19 rally to the police.

The election watchdog said rally participants would meet at Dataran Maybank in Jalan Bangsar and Masjid Negara before walking to Dataran Merdeka.

It said the rally would start at 10am and end at 6pm, and that about 1,000 people would form a security team with 80 medical personnel on standby.

Red Shirts leader Datuk Seri Jamal Yunos has said that he could not guarantee the actions of his “hungry” supporters during the Bersih 5 rally.