KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 19 ― Bersih 2.0 today urged Malaysians to wear their banned yellow “Bersih 4” T-shirts in protest after a High Court decision that upheld the Home Ministry's prohibition on the garment.
The electoral reform group maintained that the Home Ministry's ban was unreasonable and malicious, and intended to cow public dissent.
It added that the ban and the court decision affirming it have effectively made criminals of the Malaysians who had worn the yellow T-shirts during a two-day protest last year.
“The ban was clearly a move to instil fear, but we are sure that Malaysians will not be intimidated by this tactic.
“We urge Malaysians to continue wearing the T-shirt with a clear conscience in affirmation of our rights,” the reform group said in a statement.
It did not say if it was offering legal aid for any individuals who may be detained for violating the Home Ministry ban.
The High Court in Shah Alam this morning set aside Bersih 2.0's challenge on ban, ruling that the Home Ministry was within its powers when it issued the order.
New Sin Yew who was representing the group said they will appeal the decision.
The government gazetted last August the Home Ministry's order issued under the Printing Presses and Publications Act banning any item of clothing in Bersih’s signature yellow bearing the “Bersih 4” name as well as other printed materials and pamphlets on the rally.
The nationwide ban was against the “printing, importation, production, reproduction, publishing, sale, issue, circulation, distribution or possession” of the yellow Bersih 4 T-shirts and the related printing materials, with the government citing their likely harm to public order, security, national interest and a likely breach of laws.
The ban took effect on August 28, just before the two-day Bersih 4 rally from August 29 to August 30 that demanded for institutional reforms and for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s resignation.
The rally saw hundreds of thousands protesters flood the streets surrounding Kuala Lumpur, with almost all present adorned in some form of Bersih 4 paraphernalia, including the T-shirt or headband.
