page_title: Bersih 4 rally
section_title: Rally plans and pre-rally incidents
hierarchical_section_title: Bersih 4 rally / Rally plans and pre-rally incidents
caption_attribution_description: English: mine
context_page_description: The Bersih 4 rally was a series of planned rallies carried out on 29 to 30 August 2015 in major cities in Malaysia, namely Kuala Lumpur, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching. There were subsequent rallies in over 70 cities around the world in support of the main rallies in Malaysia. The rallies were organised by The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections or Bersih a coalition of non-government organisations which seeks to reform the current electoral system in Malaysia to ensure free, clean and fair elections. The rallies were being carried out with the objective to calling for clean and transparent governance in Malaysia as well as strengthening the parliamentary democracy system. The rallies are a followup to similar rallies that were carried out in 2007, 2011 and 2012. 30 August is the day before National Day which is on 31 August.
context_section_description: The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) has announced that peaceful assemblies like Bersih cannot be banned under the law, and that the police has provide convincing and compelling reasons to justify preventing Bersih's right to assemble as provided under the Peaceful Assembly Act. The Bar Council of Malaysia have stated that it is illegal for the police to prohibit the Bersih rally from going ahead. The Bar Council has also prepared a team of lawyers to provide legal assistance to rally participants should they be arrested by the police.
   Furthermore, Lawyers for Liberty executive director Eric Paulsen said that it was irresponsible for the authorities to mislead the public and make exaggerated claims that the rally is illegal or out to topple the government.
  A poll by Merdeka Center shows majority of Malaysian citizens oppose this rally (47% compare to 43% approve). 70% of Malays disapprove this rally  while those who approve were the Internet-users, urbanites and Chinese.
  Prime Minister Najib Razak has describe the Bersih participants as 'shallow and poor' in patriotism. The Ministry of Home Affairs has released a gazetted order under the Printing Presses and Publications Act banning the wearing of yellow clothing with the wording 'Bersih 4' and any pamphlets promoting the rally.  This was disputed by former Federal Court judge Gopal Sri Ram who said that with the exception of pamphlets or placards, Bersih 4 T-shirt does not fall under the definition of publications. The Higher Education Minister Idris Jusoh has warned undergraduates from participating in the Bersih rallies and that they would face action under the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971. The University Council and universities such as Universiti Teknologi MARA have warned on action to be taken on students who participate in the Bersih rallies, even threatening the students with suspension. The Malaysian Armed Forces chief Gen Zulkifeli Mohd Zin said that the military will intervene in the rallies if the government declares a state of emergency. Malaysian Navy has said action will be taken against navy personnel who took part in the Bersih rallies.
  The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), who regulates internet usage in Malaysia has announced on their Facebook page that it would begin to block websites that promote and spread information regarding the Bersih rallies on grounds that the rallies threaten national stability. Bersih has condemn the MCMC's decision and has asked the public to email the MCMC to complain, while stating they would also seek legal recourse if the MCMC's ban is not lifted by the time the rallies' start.  Deputy Minister of the Communications and Multimedia ministry Jailani Johari said that internet news portals will not be exempted from being blocked if they report on the Bersih rallies. Four websites have been blocked by the MCMC from being accessible to Malaysian internet users.
  A yellow Volkswagen Beetle that was going to be used in a roadshow to promote the Bersih 4 rally was vandalised and another vehicle a Mini Cooper will be used in its place. Bersih has started a photo campaign called "Bersih 4 Global Countdown" asking Malaysians all over the world to show their support for the rally by posting a picture of themselves with posters. Bersih has also announced record donations nearing 2 million ringgit. Furthermore, there have been records sales of yellow T-shirts with the Bersih logo with the shirts being sold out in a matter of days.
  A pro-government group Himpunan Solidariti Untuk Mu Malaysia (Solidarity gathering for you Malaysia) aims to gather about 10,000 people at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) to counter the Bersih rallies. The police have started investigating the group after they gave an exhibition showing off weapons and martial arts like silat, in anticipation of violence. After the leader of the anti-Bersih group Jamal Md Yunos was questioned by the police about the group's intentions, he announced that the counter-rally would be called off.
caption: Brickfields was one of the four gathering points for the rally in Kuala Lumpur
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