Bersih as a manifestation of resistance to authoritarianism and electoral manipulation in Malaysia: an examination of the recently concluded Bersih rally of 2015

Abstract

The socio-political movement, Bersih, set up in 2006 was originally meant to tackle the issue of electoral manipulation by the Election Commission which is seen as giving the ruling party immense advantage in facing elections. In this respect, the organization galvanized civil society comprising NGOs, civil society groups and Opposition political parties to air their grouses in open rallies or demonstrations of which four major ones have been held since November 2007. The last Bersih rally on 29 and 30 August 2015 saw crowds of over 150,000 converging on the city of Kuala Lumpur for two days not just demanding clean and fair elections but also adding the issue of corruption and mismanagement of the country by those in power, in particular the person of the Prime Minister, to their demands. This article looks at the prospect for change in the political landscape given the scale of resistance to authoritarianism in Malaysia as manifested by the Bersih rallies.