“We have not said we are holding a rally. We are still in the process of discussion with NGOs. They should not threaten anyone as this is our right to assembly but at the moment they are making empty threats,” the electoral reform group’s chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah told FMT.

She was commenting on Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar’s statement yesterday that police would not approve any street demonstrations demanding Prime Minister Najib Razak’s resignation following the US Department of Justice’s (DoJ) suits over USD3.5 billion that was allegedly misappropriated from 1MDB.

Khalid had also said “it was not right” for Bersih 2.0 to hold a rally to demand that Najib step down as there were other means to get the PM to resign.

Chin however noted that Bersih 2.0 have yet to call for a rally.

“We don’t know what is he responding to. We are still in discussions. It’s not official yet.”

Last week, Chin said the electoral reform NGO was planning to hold a rally.

This announcement was made after the DoJ filed lawsuits in Los Angeles on June 20, seeking to seize assets “involved in and traceable to an international conspiracy to launder money misappropriated from 1MDB.”

The DoJ also alleged offences were committed over a four-year period and involved multiple individuals, including Malaysian officials and their associates, who conspired to fraudulently divert billions of dollars from 1MDB.

It specifically named Riza Aziz, who is Prime Minister Najib Razak’s stepson, Low Taek Jho (better known as Jho Low), and Abu Dhabi government officials Khadem al-Qubaisi and Mohamed Ahmed Badawy Al-Husseiny.

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