‘Not protesting is not an option’: Malaysian democracy group ‘Bersih’ plans 1MDB protest rally

Malaysian democracy group Bersih plans a protest rally to demand greater government accountability and action to tackle a multibillion-dollar scandal at state fund 1MDB, an official of the group said on Wednesday.

The US Justice Department filed civil lawsuits last month alleging that more than US$3.5 billion was misappropriated from state fund 1MDB, founded by Prime Minister Najib Razak and whose advisory council he chaired until recently.

Bersih said it planned a roadshow and several protests ahead of the street demonstration, whose timing it did not reveal.

“Not protesting is not an option,” Bersih chairwoman Maria Chin told reporters, adding that the group aimed to gather more diverse groups and stakeholders for the rally, although she did not identify them.

“Awareness of 1MDB at the ground level is not yet there, we need to raise the level of anger and awareness,” she added.