A sea of yellow in Kuala Lumpur as protesters demand Najib's resignation

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A sea of yellow in Kuala Lumpur as protesters demand Najib's resignation



KUALA LUMPUR - Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in the heart of Kuala Lumpur on Saturday for an overnight rally to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Razak over an alleged multi-million-dollar transfer of state funds to his personal account.

There was no official estimate of the turnout but one news portal Malaysiakini reported on Saturday afternoon that there were at least 100,000 people.

There were concerns that the rally could lead to violence on the streets like in previous protests organised by electoral reform group Bersih.

Small rallies were held in Kuching and Kota Kinabalu.Organisers said thousands of Malaysians in some 70 cities around the world also held events in solidarity with the rallies in Malaysia.

In Kuala Lumpur, crowds headed to the five meeting points - Sogo shopping mall, National Mosque, Dataran Maybank, Brickfields and Central Market hours before the start of the rally at 2pm. All five groups then marched towards the historic Dataran Merdeka.

Among the prominent figures at the rally were Bersih chief Maria Chin Abdullah, opposition leader Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, wife of jailed opposition politician Anwar Ibrahim, Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali, and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

"We are not here to topple the government but to topple a corrupt political system,'' said the Bersih chief. "We must continue the fight to reform our institutions and political system."

Wan Azizah, president of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), said: "Don't forget Anwar Ibrahim. Don't forget those who have sacrificed, those known and unknown. We must continue their fight to bring justice and free our country."

Despite a government ban, many protesters wore the yellow "Bersih 4" T-shirt.

"People are not afraid anymore. We want our right to be heard," a local university lecturer, who declined to be named, told The Straits Times. "We feel that as time goes by, things are getting worse. Everyone knows about the corruption in our country. Until now we don't have clear answers on (state investor) 1MDB and the 2.6 billion ringgit that PM consider to be a donation,'' said the lecturer who was outside Sogo.

In some places, there was a bazaar-like atmosphere with stalls selling Bersih merchandise.

The rally took place in defiance of warnings from the police and the government that the assembly was illegal and would jeopardise national security.


The government had banned not just printed materials promoting the rally, but also any clothing that was yellow and which contained the words "Bersih 4".

Under the controversial Printing Presses and Publications Act, those in possession of these items can be fined up to RM5,000 (S$1,687) and those guilty of producing or distributing them can be jailed up to three years.

But organisers were undeterred by the Home Ministry's ban and told supporters to carry on wearing the yellow T-shirt. The Bersih chief said those who wanted "to be cheeky" could try adding a "point zero" after the number 4 on the shirt.

In a statement on Saturday, opposition Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) said the Barisan Nasional (BN) government need not be afraid of T-shirts,

"They should be afraid of the credibility of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, the dire state of the country's economy and investors' confidence due to the image of Najib which has crumbled," PAS Deputy President Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said.

Malaysia’s anti-graft agency has said the funds paid into Najib’s account was a donation from the Middle East, which came just before a 2013 election, but the identity of the donor has not been revealed.

Najib, 62, has denied wrongdoing and said he did not take any money for personal gain.



http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-...on#xtor=CS1-10


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