PAS Youth has declared it 'obligatory' for all members to join the mass assembly for electoral reform in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, organised by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih).

Youth chief Salahuddin Ayub said everyone "who professes to be a member of PAS Youth" must participate in the rally, which will press for royal intervention in reforming the electoral process.

"I remind all PAS Youth members throughout the country that their presence in this peaceful gathering is very important if they profess to be members, and seek to continue this struggle," said Salahuddin in a statement issued today.

"I ask that all PAS Youth prove their love for justice and peace - if Buddhist monks in Burma dare to demonstrate on the streets in seeking justice, there is no reason PAS Youth should not be there at the peaceful gathering."

The call comes a day after Umno Youth's deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin urged the police to arrest the organisers.

"This is an illegal gathering by an illegal organisation. The authorities, particularly the police, must apprehend those who organise this gathering," said Khairy in his winding-up speech at the Umno Youth annual general assembly yesterday.

Khairy said he was not against the exercise of democratic rights or hearing grouses from the people, but stressed that his opposition to the gathering was based on concerns for public safety as well as law and order.

Meanwhile, PKR's Youth wing has also called on its members to join Saturday's rally.

"This is not an anti-government assembly seeking to topple the administration. This is to address the King to express the people's aspirations for a free and clean elections," said its chief Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin in a statement.

"Youth of Malaysia, let us all descend on Dataran Merdeka so that we are not condemned by future generations for allowing the decay of country's moral and democratic system," he added.

Bersih, comprising 60 NGOs and opposition parties, is looking to attract some 10,000 people for the rally, scheduled to begin at 3pm at Dataran Merdeka. They plan to march to the national palace to submit a memorandum to the King at 5pm.

Kuala Lumpur chief police officer Zulhasnan Najib Baharuddin has told Bersih that organisers of the rally must obtain a permit, and an application has been submitted.

However, the police has today sent a letter to the organisers rejected their application for a permit.

In an immediate reaction, Bersih said it would be submitting a letter to the police appealing against the decision.

'Moral duty' for journalists to march

Two press freedom groups have also issued a joint statement in support of the Bersih rally, stressing that "electoral reforms are key to press freedom".

Writers Alliance for Media Independence (Wami) and the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) said journalists have the "moral duty" to back the rally as one of the Bersih's demands for electoral reforms is to free the media.

Bersih has also demanded fair media access for all political parties.

"In other words, tens of thousand Malaysians will meet this Saturday, amongst others, to liberate the press. If lawyers can walk for justice, how can journalists stay away from its own cause?" said the joint statement.

According to Wami and CIJ, the journalistic profession is more than an occupation to earn a living.

"It has its moral purposes," they said. "The mission is communication of truth."

They argued that journalists must be part of the movement to bring greater democratisation in the country.

"Beyond the pursuit of press freedom, journalists should also support social reform and be agents of change. When the citizens march on the street this Saturday, journalists must consider themselves no lesser citizens than anyone else."

Police are servants of the people

Meanwhile, activist group Youth For Change (Y4C) called on the public to join the gathering in support of electoral and democratic reform.

It also urged the police to cooperate with, and issue the permit to Bersih as an acknowledgment of the people's constitutional right to assemble and express themselves.

"The police are civil servants who serve all the people of this country. They should be fair and professional in providing people with a peaceful, rational and non-violent situation to express themselves," said Y4C convener Lee Khai Loon in a statement today.

"There are many developed countries such as United States, Canada, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong that could be our reference point.

"Although they have rallies and demonstrations, it neither scares off investors nor affects economic stability (referring to premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's claim about the 'Walk for Justice')."

Lee added that, on the contrary, the freedom of expression allowed by these countries shows them as civilised and mature and "it becomes one of the key reasons to attract foreign investors".

The Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) has also urged the event organisers to abide by the law for public assemblies.

While freedom of peaceful assembly is an important right enshrined in the Federal Constitution and the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, such a right should be practised within the guidelines that have been proposed by Suhakam, said Commissioner N Siva Subramaniam.