Nik Aziz issues'religious edict'-be at Bersih rally

8:46AM Apr 25, 2012

PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat has declared that it is compulsory for all Muslims to attend Bersih 3.0 sit-in at Dataran Merdeka this Saturday afternoon as it is a movement "against injustice".

"We should stand up against any parties who do things that are not according to Islamic principles," he told party organ Harakahdaily, referring to the alleged irregularities in the electoral roll.

Nik Aziz added that of Bersih's eight demands, the existence of phantom voters in the electoral roll in particular was an act against Islam.

"Suppose Pakatan Rakyat wins in the upcoming general election and administers the country as what BN is doing now, like it or not we will have to use the phantom voters in future elections," he warned.

"Certainly, Umno and BN don't want this to happen because it is sinful," he said, adding that a candidate winning a seat through such a manner is "haram" (forbidden).

Six gathering points

The police has disallowed Bersih 3.0 sit-in on grounds of safety while the Kuala Lumpur City Hall, which maintains Dataran Merdeka, has objected to the usage of the iconic location for political dissent.

The Bersih 2.0 steering committee is however adamant on assembling at Dataran Merdeka.

The committee has also listed the gathering points for would-be protesters - Masjid Negara, Masjid Jamek, Pasar Seni, Masjid India, Brickfields and Jalan Sultan - before they proceed to Dataran Merdeka.

Bersih 3.0, among others, is calling for the resignation of the Election Commission chief for his failure to clean up the electoral roll before the upcoming election, which is speculated to be held in the second quarter of this year