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Wednesday, August 26, 2015

MAD RUSH TO TELL NAJIB TO QUIT: Traffic jams & long queues for Bersih 4 merchandise

MAD RUSH TO TELL NAJIB TO QUIT: Traffic jams & long queues for Bersih 4 merchandise
PETALING JAYA - The quiet little neighbourhood behind Assunta Hospital here was uncharacteristically alive with activity yesterday as Malaysians arrived in droves in a mad rush to get their Bersih 4 T-shirts in time for this weekend’s overnight rally.
In just a matter of days, rally organiser Bersih 2.0’s T-shirt fundraiser saw the polls reform watchdog rake in more than a million ringgit from sales and donations, a record high for the group.
Its inventory was cleaned out twice, and eager rally-goers still waited patiently for hours in long queues for the arrival of the next stock of merchandise.
As result, the bungalow on Lorong 4/4E that Bersih 2.0 has been using as its headquarters for T-shirt sales was packed to the rafters from 2pm yesterday afternoon.
To maintain crowd control, the group’s organising committee had to give out ticket numbers to the crowd to wait their turn.
But the sweltering afternoon heat and long wait did little to deter the crowd of several hundreds at the packed bungalow. Some even had to wait outside the compound of the house, causing a minor traffic congestion at the heart of the usually quiet neighbourhood.
There were several instances where announcements had to be made to tell customers to repark or move their cars.
Malay Mail Online spoke to some of those waiting in line and many admitted that it was their first time participating in a rally.
From those polled, seven said the current political imbroglio and the country’s troubling economic outlook have forced people to take their dissatisfaction to the streets.
This, they said, was proven by the massive turnout at Bersih 2.0’s headquarters for the group’s T-shirts.
For Audrey Wan, 75, Bersih 4 will be her first rally. Although she suffers from osteoporosis, Wan said she and her friends are determined to walk this weekend, hoping their participation will help Bersih 2.0’s achieve its demand for reforms and a change in leadership.
“We cannot keep quiet, things are getting out of hand. It is time for the people to voice out for the future of our country.
“If not we are in deep trouble with the current economic state, it is getting worse,” she said when met after purchasing 10 T-shirts.
Another man, who only wanted to be known as Hafiz, also revealed that Bersih 4 will be his first rally and was taken aback by the turnout he saw at the group’s headquarters to purchase Bersih merchandise.
“It is shocking to see so many people here. I can’t believe people are waiting here since 2pm in the hot sun to get a t-shirt. Must be evident that the people clearly are unhappy,” the 30-year-old told Malay Mail Online.
Retiree Flam Fernandez, 63, meanwhile predicted that the outcome of this weekend’s rally would be bigger than any of the previous demonstrations as as the people have grown “fed-up” with the way the country is being run.
“There is going to be an overwhelming crowd and this will indicate the feelings of the nation over the current crisis,” he said after purchasing a handful of merchandise.
A surprised Maria Chin Abdullah, Bersih 2.0’s chairman, was greeted by applause when she came out from the group’s headquarters to meet the crowd outside.
In her short address to the group, she said the turnout to support Bersih 4 throughout the nation has been astonishing with huge orders for merchandise and “tremendous donations”.
“This is very encouraging, I hope this number or more than this would be at Dataran Merdeka.
“I believe that the people will be there in masses. There is a very good response nationwide, the number of people I meet at ceramahs keep increasing all the time.
“All of us are now angry enough to do something for this country,” she said to the people in the queue outside.
Although the police and the Kuala Lumpur City Council (DBKL) have declared the Bersih 4 rally illegal, Chin said the group will still proceed with its plans. She added that she and her colleagues will meet with the police later today to discuss the matter.
“Of course now police and DBKL are putting restrictions on us but tomorrow I am going to Dang Wangi to see the OCPD. We will see what happens.
“Police are still insisting that we have not put in letter of notice and application form but we have put it in twice. We have to negotiate with them,” Chin explained.
Bersih 2.0’s latest rally dubbed “Bersih 4” is scheduled this weekend in the city centre here, Kuching in Sarawak, Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, and several other cities across the globe, to demand for institutional reforms and for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to resign amid the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) controversy.
The rally is supposed to be a 34-hour sit in at Dataran Merdeka and would have participants convene from five meeting points including Sogo, the National Mosque, Dataran Maybank, Brickfields and Central Market. - Malay Mail

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