Prime Minister Najib Razak explained his administration’s tacit approval of the “red shirt” rally held in Kuala Lumpur on Malaysia Day, saying that unlike the recent #BERSIH4 mass protest, the Gathering for Malay Dignity was not aiming to topple the Federal Government.
In an audio clip uploaded to his personal blog, Najib said that he was informed by the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) that the red shirt rally did not intend to overthrow the government, there were no plans for the red shirt protesters to march from their various meeting points across the city to Padang Merbok where the rally was set to take place, and that the red shirts’ organisers had been given permission from Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).
The red shirt rally was deemed legal by the PDRM due to DBKL’s permission for the organisers to converge peacefully on the grounds of Padang Merbok. #BESIH4, which was organised by electoral reform movement Bersih 2.0, was declared illegal because they refused to move the planned location of their rally from the perimeter surrounding Dataran Merdeka to Padang Merbok, both of which fall under the management of DBKL.
On the day of the Gathering for Malay Dignity, red shirt organisers reneged on their pledge not to march to Padang Merbok and instead mobilised its protesters on marches all across KL, with thousands of red shirts breaking through police barricades set up in the Bukit Bintang district near Low Yat Plaza, and Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) personnel being forced to deploy water cannons and riot police against protesters outside the entrance to Petaling Street – both areas in KL which have significant ethnic Chinese commercial presence.
Najib commended the decision of law enforcement officials to disperse unruly protesters in Petaling Street with anti-riot protocols.
“That is why when they breached the prohibited area, the authorities acted to disperse them even though they were forced to use water cannon,” said Najib.
“Police are also investigating those involved in triggering racism and whoever is found guilty will be charged under the Sedition Act.”
The Gathering for Malay Dignity was attended by about 20,000 protesters, almost all of whom were Malay-Muslims from across the country, bussed into the capital by organisers and partner NGOs.
The mass gathering sought to defend the “honour of the Malay ethnic majority” against perceived attacks against its dominance and the community’s leaders in Malaysia by “DAP Chinese” elements who sought to undermine the country’s racial status quo.
The rally also served as a rebuttal to #BERSIH4, which called for the resignation of Najib due to his alleged links to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal and the mysterious RM2.6 billion transfer into his personal bank accounts in 2013, two months before the 13th General Elections.
Ruling Malay party UMNO, while officially not endorsing nor condemning the rally, did see significant representation from its national and division level leaders who attended the rally.
One of the rally’s main spokespeople, Jamal Md Yunos, is Sungai Besar UMNO division leader. Another major advocate for the rally is former Malacca Chief Minister and veteran UMNO politician Mohd Ali Rustam.
Yet another UMNO leader, MARA chairperson Annuar Musa, defended the racial bent of the rally he attended by admitting he was indeed a racist, but that his racism was in line with what he called Islamic teachings.
