KOTA KINABALU, Aug 29 — Small groups of demonstrators dressed in yellow have started gathering for the Bersih 4 rally in Sabah here, amid a light police presence.
The 3km Tanjung Lipat waterfront esplanade at the Sabah capital looked calm, as several police officers and a Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) team sporadically patrolled the area ahead of the demonstration scheduled at 2pm by polls reform group Bersih 2.0.
“The people have the right to stand up and make the government accountable for their actions,” protester John Saw, 38, told Malay Mail Online.
“The rally is just a way to show that the people want to be heard,” the engineer added.
The Likas Bay Park II, where the Sabah chapter of the Bersih 4 rally will be held, was sealed off to roadside parking but people were seen setting up canopies.
Sabah Bersih chairman Jannie Lasimbang said yesterday that the public could meet at any of the five meeting spots and begin their walk at 1pm simultaneously towards the park.
The Bersih 4 rally, which is held here, Kuching in Sarawak, Kota Kinabalu in Sabah and other cities around the world, calls for institutional reforms and for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s resignation over his handling of the controversy surrounding debt-laden state investment firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
The authorities have prohibited the Bersih 4 rally, with the Home Ministry issuing a nationwide ban yesterday against yellow Bersih 4 T-shirts.
