‘BN will be toppled this year’

KUALA LUMPUR: Pro-Pakatan Rakyat groups have vowed to overthrow the Barisan Nasional government this year through a massive street rally.

Speakers at a forum held yesterday unanimously agreed that waiting for five years until the next
general election was too long, and vowed to overthrow BN this year through “force”.

The street rally is rumoured to be as early as May 17 or 18 to overthrow BN and capture Putrajaya.

“We will take to the streets and take over Putrajaya. If we really want to overthrow them, there is no other way. Democracy does not work,” Haris Ibrahim from ABU (Anything But Umno) told the 1,500-strong crowd here.

“The people cannot wait anymore. We don’t want to wait another five years. We will take the streets,” he added.

PKR vice-president and Batu MP Tian Chua mirrored Haris’ cry to overthrow BN through force, and said it was the people’s choice.

“The decision to wait another five years or fight is not the right of Pakatan leaders, the results during the polls were not of Pakatan… but the rakyat’s,” he said.

‘This is not a threat, it is a promise’

Meanwhile, student leader Adam Adli Halim challenged the authorities to arrest him for urging the public to overthrow the government.

“Najib calls us the minority, but today we are proud to be the new majority in the country. We are able to mobilise and seize back our democracy that was stolen from us,” he said to loud cheers.

“We cannot wait for five years to overthrow Umno and BN, 2013 is ours. We will bring them down.

“I urge the people of Malaysia to unite and go down to the streets to take back what is ours. Elections won’t overthrow the government, the people’s power will,” he added.

Electoral watchdog group Bersih 2.0 steering committee member  Hishamuddin Rais pointed out that it was useless to take their unhappiness to the courts as he claimed the justice system was being controlled by the government.

“That is why we must take to the streets. We have to come out. What Najib likes is wrong, and what he doesn’t like is what we have to do,” he said.

“We will mobilise a big group and rally on the streets. This is not a threat, this is a promise,” he stressed.

Following the general election on Sunday that saw ruling Barisan Nasional capture their 13th consecutive victory, Pakatan and their supporters have claimed that the polls were rigged.

by: Lisa J. Ariffin