Gov't supports suggestion to blacklist companies funding Bersih 5

PETALING JAYA: Blacklist any government-linked companies found to be funding the Bersih 5 rally calling for electoral reform.
Announcing this, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan said he agrees with the suggestion made by an editors of an Umno-linked newspaper today.
"The time to be soft and tolerant is over. The companies that are helping this movement, which is jeopardising the economic security of the country, will be ostracised," he said in his Facebook post today.
Abdul Rahman said he will get the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) and the Public Private Partnership Unit (Ukas) to vet the backgrounds of companies applying for government contracts in order to blacklist any such companies.
"I take note of the views of Awang Selamat in Mingguan Malaysia today @UMonline. (He) wrote about companied that are funding the illegal Bersih rally intending to topple the government.
"At the same time these companies have obtained government contracts. I agree with his opinion that these companies should be blacklisted," he said.
The Malay daily urged the government to penalise companies found to be supporting the electoral watchdog Bersih 2.0 ahead of its planned Bersih 5 rally on Nov 19.
"Companies that are evidently supporting this illegal gathering will be blacklisted with immediate effect.
"I am sure there are many other companies, that would offer equal or better terms to the government, which should be given the opportunity," Abdul Rahman said. — AFP