The Coalition for Free and Fair Elections or Bersih (which means "clean" in Malay

Malay language

Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...

) is a coalition of non-governmental organisations with the aim of revising the current electoral system to ensure fair elections in Malaysia.

2007 Bersih rally

On Saturday 10 November 2007, a rally organized by Bersih took place in the area of Kuala Lumpur around Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square) and Istana Negara (The National Palace) without permits. The 'illegal' rally was dispersed by Malaysian riot police with tear gas and chemical bursts. 13 men and two women were arrested and no policemen were injured.

Following the initial rally, Bersih indicated it may hold another street demonstration if government extended the tenure of Election Commission (EC) chairperson Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman. On 20 November 2007, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Aziz tabled a first reading of the Constitution (Amendment) Bill 2007 that sought to extend the retirement age of members of Election Commission (EC) from 65 to 66. Parliament passed legislation on 11 December to increase EC members' retirement age from 65 to 66.

2011 Bersih 2.0 rally

Following the developments, Bersih scheduled a second street demonstration for 9 July 2011, ahead of the anticipated 2012 national Malaysian elections. Plans for the demonstration were extensively criticised by the government and pro-government media, and the police arrested a number of Bersih supporters in the lead-up to the event. After being granted an audience with the King to discuss the issue, Bersih subsequently agreed on 5 July 2011 to move the rally from the streets to a stadium.

Bersih member organizations

Some of the component organizations that form Bersih are:

Non Government Organizations:

- Aliran Kesedaran Rakyat (The Peoples Flow of Awareness)

- All-Women’s Action Society (AWAM)

- Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (ABIM) (Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement)

- Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ)

- Citizens’ Health Initiative

- Civil Rights Committee (KLSCAH)

- Community Action Network

- ERA Consumer Malaysia (ERACON)

- Gabungan Mahasiswa Islam SeMalaysia (Coalition of Muslim Students Malaysia)

- Group of Concerned Citizens (GCC)

- Jaringan Rakyat Tertindas (JERIT) (Oppressed Citizens Network)

- Labour Resource Centre (LRC)

- Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC)

- Malaysia Youth and Students Democratic Movement

Malaysia Youth and Students Democratic Movement

Malaysia Youth & Student Democratic Movement formed on 17th September 1998. The movement consists of a group of students from various universities who were responsible for presenting the effects of globalization on the youth and student movement in Malaysia...

 (DEMA)

- Malaysian Voters Union (MALVU)

- National Human Rights Society

National Human Rights Society

The National Human Rights Society , better known locally as Hakam, is a human rights non-governmental organization that works on human rights issues in Malaysia. Hakam is considered to be one of the most vocal human rights NGOs in Malaysia....

 (HAKAM)

- Pusat Janadaya (Janadaya Center)

- Pusat Komunikasi Masyarakat (The Center for Social Communication)

- Research for Social Advancement (REFSA)

- Save Ourselves (SOS Penang)

- Bersih Kuala Lumpur (BSKL)

- Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia (Students Solidarity Malaysia)

- Suara Rakyat Malaysia

Suaram

SUARAM, or Suara Rakyat Malaysia, is a human rights organization in Malaysia created in 1987 after Operation Lalang, when 106 opposition, unions, activist leaders were detained without trial under the Internal Security Act...

 (Voice of the People, Malaysia)

- Tamil Foundation

- Unit Pemikiran Politik, (Political Thinktank Unit)

- Kuala Lumpur Drum Corps (KLDC)

- Women’s Development Collective (WDC)

- Writers Alliance for Media Independence (WAMI)