Taipei Times
Date: Dec 11, 2017.
By: Stacy Hsu  /  Staff reporter

Despite living in a nation overshadowed by ethnic divides and a long-lived, corrupt ruling

Bersih 2.0 manager Mandeep Singh, left, chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah, center, and deputy chairman Shahrul Aman Mohd Saari, right, hold up the coalition’s campaign leaflets in an interview with the Taipei Times at the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy in Taipei on Saturday.   Photo: Stacy Hsu, Taipei Times

party that cracks down on activists, representatives of the Malaysia-based Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) showed themselves unfazed, saying that they are convinced that people’s dream for a clean electoral system can transcend racial lines and survive despite a culture of fear of authorities.

“When this coalition was formed, civic society was not really directly involved,” Bersih 2.0 chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah said in an interview with the Taipei Times in Taipei on Saturday.

A coalition of 93 NGOs dedicated to pushing for clean elections and electoral reforms, Bersih 2.0 is the recipient of this year’s Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award, which is awarded by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy.    [FULL  STORY]