(Sept 8): Human rights activist Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan questioned why electoral reform group Bersih 2.0 was being "picked on" by being asked to pay RM65,000 in clean up costs for the Bersih 4 rally two weekends ago.

Describing the move as "churlish", the National Human Rights Society (Hakam) president demanded to know if organisers of previous assemblies or public functions in Kuala Lumpur was also served similar bills.

"Why are they picking on Bersih? I want to know which organisation has got a similar bill. There have been so many occasions when things have happened in Dataran Merdeka.

"I find it so churlish and petty for the government to dump a bill on Bersih just to make a point," she said at the "Right to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly: Lessons from Bersih 4" roundtable discussion today.

Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah yesterday received the invoice from the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation (SWCorp) over the 34-hour rally in Kuala Lumpur on August 29 and 30.

Maria had previously said Bersih 2.0 refused to pay and would challenge any order for payment in court.

Ambiga cited the recently concluded KL Grand Prix race as an example, and asked if Putrajaya had also made the race organisers pay for cleaning costs.

The former Bar Council president also praised Bersih 2.0 for doing a "brilliant job" in ensuring cleanliness during the rally, where protestors themselves picked up rubbish off the streets and bagged them at the end of the demonstration.

She also said the high sensitivity over the historic Dataran Merdeka had to stop, as it belonged to all Malayians and no one ought to monopolise the square.

Ambiga then addressed the authorities' offer for the use of stadiums for demonstrations.

While noting that some Malaysians thought it was a reasonable request, she added that true freedom of assembly would not ask people to gather in stadiums

"Freedom of assembly is going to the street and communicate your needs, so that you would not be ignored. This is another mindset change the government needs to make," she said.

Malaysia Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) member James Nayagam, who was also at today's discussion, said the rights body would also like to see cleaning bills issued to organisers of other  gatherings.

Suhakam which had sent a 25-member monitoring team to the two-day rally said it did not receive any complaints from anyone after the rally.

"We take it that all is well," the commissioner said.

Both he and Ambiga commended the police for showing restraint this time, unlike previous Bersih rallies where participants were subjected to tear gas and arrests.

"Well done Malaysia, you have showed us you can hold a peaceful gathering and conclude it successfully," Nayagam said.

Ambiga said the only problem she had with the police was that they do not feel it was their duty to look after the security of rally participants.

"Under the police act, their duty continues and not suspended," she said, noting that the security of protestors should be a joint responsibility between the force and the organisers. – The Malaysian Insider