BERSIH 2.0 acting chief Shahrul Aman Mohd Saari wants to persuade more Malays to sign up with the electoral watchdog to silence allegations that it is exclusively ethnic Chinese and anti-Islam.

The electronic engineering graduate said he hoped to convince more Malays, particularly those of working class to join the cause for electoral reform.

“The organisations are more focused on city folk and do not bother with the Malays, in terms of narrative, thought and language.

“Bersih’s medium of communication, for example, is English, using difficult and technical terms that are not understood by ordinary people.

“That’s the problem.”

Shahrul said he aimed to make Bersih 2.0 more accessible to the masses by working with Malay organisations.

“I have been involved with Islamic civil society and I’m close to these groups.

“That is why I have no problem accepting invitations to Perkasa events, such as its general meetings.

“What’s needed are a better relationship (with Malay civil society) to recruit them to the reform cause.”

Shahrul became the acting chairman of Bersih 2.0 after chairman Maria Chin Abdullah resigned this week to contest in the 14th general election.

Shahrul had previously taken over as acting chairman when Maria was arrested under the Special Security Offenses (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) ahead of the November 2016 rally.

Shahrul said that prior to the rally, when he was deputy chairman, government-controlled media had tried to remove him from the narrative so as to portray the reform movement as anti-Malay and anti-Muslim.

“Bersih 2.0 was accused of being anti-Islam, anti-Malay and much more.

“They did not want to publish anything about me, because I am an Islamist and involved with the Islamic movement, such as for Palestine.

“I will spoil the narrative (for them). After my involvement (in Bersih) was shown to be significant, there was pressure on me and my work,” Shahrul said in an interview with The Malaysian Insight at the Bersih office in Petaling Jaya.

Persecution had caused him to quit his job and work full-time at Bersih 2.0 and to help out at other NGOs.

“During Bersih 3, I was security personnel patrolling the rally,” Shahrul said of his early years in the organisation.

“Bersih 4, I attended as one of Ikram’s leaders. I remember Dr Wong Chin Huat telling me that I needed to be more active in Bersih so the rally is not dominated by politicians,” he said.

Dr Wong is a political analyst and researcher with the Penang Institute.

In 2014, Shahrul, 43, was appointed as Ikram vice-president after the incumbent Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh resigned to join PKR. Ikram is a Muslim NGO.

Recruiting Malays

Shahrul said Bersih 2.0 would continue the programmes initiated by Maria.

“We will continue to be involved in the the monitoring of the delineation process to its finish.

“Then we will focus on ‘Get Out To Vote’ to encourage more people to vote.

“Similarly, we will monitor the election process and we have 500 volunteers to do that so far.

On the brickbats Maria has received over her decision to stand in the the elections on a PKR ticket, Shahrul said Bersih 2.0 respected her decision.

“As a matter of principle, Maria has said she will no longer be involved with Bersih 2.0.

“Officially, Maria is no longer with us. 

“She had done all she could do with Bersih. Did they expect her to stay put here, forever?” – March 11, 2018.