PETALING JAYA: This is a rose which never ceases to be a thorn in the flesh of Barisan Nasional. To the point that some have even called for her citizenship to be revoked.
And now her recent ceramah in Seremban, which drew a mammoth crowd who braved the rain, is said to have rattled those in the ruling coalition once again.
Following this, Bersih co-chairperson S Ambiga has come under fire, with critics again taking a swipe at her for gracing opposition events despite insisting that the polls watchdog is non-partisan.
Defending herself, the former Bar Council president told FMT that it is the opposition parties which invite her to educate voters on their rights.
“I don’t campaign for anyone. This is about voter education. I impress upon them the importance of good governance and call on them to vote out corrupt politicians and those who abuse their powers.
“Unless BN fits the bill, they have no reason to be worried or complain,” said Ambiga, adding that she would be more than willing to attend BN functions if invited.
However, the Bersih chairperson stressed that even if she is invited to speak at a BN ceramah, she would state the same points vis-a-vis the absence of a level playing field, the elections are not clean and that the rotten must be voted out.
She also pointed out that Bersih has invited BN leaders to attend its events on numerous occasions, but none of them turned up.
“This is like a spoilt brat who does not attend a birthday party despite being extended an invitation and later complains about the other guests who show up,” she said.
Ambiga also explained that voter education included telling the people not to be afraid of change.
“There are those who frighten the people on the ground, especially the Indian community with talks of riot and whatnot if there is a change in government.
“I tell voters not to let fear dictate their choice, it is their freedom of choice. This is not campaigning for the opposition but getting the message across to voters on their rights,” she said.
While Ambiga said she has no problems with being scrutinised, she however hoped that the spotlight would be turned on the Election Commission instead, which she accused of being partisan in the discharging of its duties.
‘I am not contesting’
The Bersih leader also reiterated her stand of not contesting in the general election after speculations resurfaced following her recent visit to Cameron Highlands.
She had attended a Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) fund-raiser and this led to rumours of her wanting to take on MIC president G Palanivel, who is slated to contest the parliamentary seat.
Pundits believe that should she contest the seat, it would be nothing short of a political nightmare for Palanivel, who is said to have opted for Cameron Highlands as it is considered a safe bet.
Ambiga, who is aware of such talk, dismissed it with a laugh and a sprinkle of German.
“’Nein’! I am not contesting in the general election. In how many more languages should I make this clear?” she quipped.
Responding to a question, Ambiga also said she is flattered for being labelled the “Iron Lady of Malaysia”, a term often used to introduce her at ceramahs.
However, she stressed that the movement is not about her.
“The real credit goes to the rakyat who supported the movement, every man and woman in Bersih as well as those who supported us and attended our rallies are ‘iron men’ and ‘iron women’ in their own right,” she said.
The Bersih rallies, which aimed to push for electoral reforms, drew tens of thousands, and the protests, which were supposed to be peaceful, were marred with violence.
The organisers and the opposition blamed the police high-handedness while the authorities accused the participants of instigating a ruckus.
