A PETITION to urge Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to uphold the rule of law and political stability was launched today.

The petition, filed by electoral watchdog Bersih, demanded an assurance from Anwar that the fire of reformasi was still alive after 25 years and that it would triumph over political adventurism.

It demands that the government:

1. Impose a moratorium on applications for a discharge or acquittal from ongoing high-profile cases involving politicians or those closely connected with them, in particular but not limited to Najib Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor, until the roles of the attorney-general and public prosecutor have been separated;

2. Set 2024 as the deadline for the powers of the attorney-general and public prosecutor to be separated;

3. Reopen cases of the politicians who have been discharged from corruption charges,, in particular but not limited to Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.  The court must be allowed to determine the guilt or innocence of the accused  based on evidence presented; and

4. To not withdraw or undermine the government’s appeals against the acquittal of politicans, such as Najib in the1MDB report tampering case.

“We call on the public to sign the petition and spread the word so that politicians charged with corruption must face fair and complete trials,” said Bersih chairman Thomas Fann.

Fann said that a copy of the petition and today’s statement would be forwarded to Anwar and that he was expecting the prime minister to respond.

“I would like to see this petition break all records and send a strong message to the Madani government. It is also important we gauge the response of the prime minister to our statement.

“If he is silent it will mean that he isn’t taking our statement seriously and a campaign is definitely forthcoming but if he respond affirmatively, we will engage with him to ensure reform takes place.”

“We will not let up until reform happens.” – October 5, 2023.