Putrajaya responsible for police handling of Bersih, says law expert

Constitutional expert Professor Abdul Aziz Bari said today that “the buck stops
 with the government” over the police's response to the July 9 Bersih rally.

KUALA LUMPUR,  A constitutional expert has criticised the government for blaming the police for the way the Bersih rally was handled, saying today Putrajaya should be held responsible for the public fallout over the matter as police officers had acted strictly under government orders.

Professor Abdul Aziz Bari said that Malaysia practised a Westminister model of democracy, whereby Article 43 (3) of the Federal Constitution dictates that the police force answers to no one but the government of the day.

“The government cannot blame the police in the Bersih issue. The police force is part of the public service and this, in turn, is under the care of the executive, namely the government of the day.

Mahathir is responsible for Bersih

An Australian researcher believes that Mahathir's elimination of a level political playing field created a need for a movement like Bersih.

PETALING JAYA: An Australian political researcher has credited former premier, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, for the formation of the Bersih and Bersih 2.0 coalitions.

In an interview with ABC Radio Australia yesterday, Greg Lopez of the Australian National University (ANU) bluntly stated that Mahathir had “virtually destroyed any check and balance available” during his lengthy reign.

“He put the judiciary, police and royalty under Umno so that it was just impossible for the opposition to have any fair go at winning an election,” Lopez said. “And this (conclusion) is born of numerous studies conducted at the ANU and in many other countries. It is a fact.”