
DBKL officers remove opposition rally stage at Dataran Merdeka
According to an enforcement officer on duty, the structure was removed on instructions from the police and was to be relocated to Masjid Negara.
However, the officer declined to elaborate and directed reporters to refer to the police for further details.
Two four-wheel-drive (4x4) vehicles were used as a makeshift main stage for today's rally.
Bersatu ARMADA deputy chief Faiz Rahmad said the organisers were left confused by the turn of events.
He claimed there should not have been any issue with the stage structure or the metal frame used to hang the rally banner in front of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building.
Faiz said both police and DBKL officers had been on site at about 3am to "negotiate" and had agreed to allow the rally secretariat to set up the stage and hang the banner.
"At 3am, they said it was okay. But suddenly this morning, they told us it was not allowed and removed the stage we had set up.
"Then they told us to use two 4x4 vehicles as the stage and to hang the banner on the side of the vehicles instead," he claimed.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Focus Malaysia
2 hours ago
- Focus Malaysia
Arrest of Chegubard for flogging PMX effigy during ‘Turun Anwar' demo: Is PMX too thin-skinned?
IT IS often said that the main pre-requisite to a career in politics is an extra, thick hide. Expect all manner of criticism, insults and brickbats the more populist and high profile one gets. In a functioning democracy, such is the perils of the occupation which is par for the course. Apparently not as Bersatu activist and political influencer Badrul Hisham Shaharin a.k.a. Chegubard, found out to his detriment when he was arrested for an action he meted out during the Turun Anwar rally on July 26. His crime? For daring to administer a caning to an effigy that resembled Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. By all accounts, the rally took place without incident apart from contested accounts of littering. And this little piece of political theatre that is common in street protests. Has PMX become a touch too sensitive with such actions leading to a knock on the door from the cops? Quite a number of citizens seem to think so. Chegubard seemed to have found an ally in former de facto law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim who did not hold back in his criticism in a Facebook post. PMX was reminded that his own supporters had been guilty of similar actions in the past when they burned books by his nemesis Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Moreover, mages of Datuk Seri Najib Razak were also defaced and damaged by the same Reformasi supporters in later rallies and protest movements. The opposition-slant UMNO member further pointed out that NO punitive action was taken back then. Yet, Anwar who is championing democratic principles and a reformist agenda is now behaving like a 'Third World autocrat' who is 'thin-skinned, vindictive and insecure'. President of the Malaysian Advancement Party (MAP) Waytha Moorthy Ponnusamy was also extremely critical of Chergubard's arrest which he described as an abuse of power aimed at silencing political dissent. While whipping PMX's effigy may be seemingly offensive, it is not an offence that warrants arrest, it was stressed. The HINDRAF (Hindu Rights Action Force) founder also described the incident as a direct attack on the freedom of speech that PMX often touted. Given the oxygen of publicity that this arrest has generated, Chegubard has remained unrepentant and even told his interrogators the reason for his actions. The Port Dickson Bersatu division chief cheekily claimed that it was because he was unable to administer a whipping on PMX himself that he has to flog his effigy instead. 'If I could, I wouldn't need to whip the effigy,' quipped the 47-year-old agent provocateur. Mengapa Chegubard sebat patung Anwar ? Ini jawapannya…. — MYNEWSHUB (@mynewshub) July 29, 2025 Few things this episode highlights. In a way, Chegubard's arrest goes against the reformist agenda which swept PMX to power. That the ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman is using various legislation such as the Sedition Act 1948 to silence detractors makes him look like a hypocrite. The apparent thinness of PMX hide will also be cause of some concern. Having withstood political pressures that included incarceration behind bars, it would have thought that the septuagenarian leader would be made of sterner stuff. Alas, this action against Chegubard proves otherwise. If anything, it has given the Turun Anwar rally added publicity when it was already fading into the background. – Aug 4, 2025


Malaysiakini
a day ago
- Malaysiakini
Can't expect better from this govt, Wan Saiful says on rally arrests
Bersatu supreme council member Wan Saiful Wan Jan expressed a lack of faith in the government after members of his party were arrested over the recent 'Turun Anwar' rally. 'I don't think we can expect any better from this government. 'This is a government that was cobbled together...


New Straits Times
a day ago
- New Straits Times
SC chairman: Regulatory integrity key to investor protection
KUALA LUMPUR: Regulatory integrity remains the cornerstone of the Securities Commission's (SC) mission to ensure a fair, orderly and transparent market, while protecting investors from fraud and criminal activities, said SC chairman Datuk Mohammad Faiz Azmi. In his keynote address at the Malaysian Student Leaders' Summit XIX (MSLS XIX), Mohammad Faiz said the SC upholds the responsibility through three main approaches, beginning with self-discipline within the industry. He pointed out that companies are ultimately run by individuals, and it is individuals who have the potential to commit crimes or engage in dishonest behaviour. Therefore, he said it is essential for those operating within the capital markets to uphold values and morals that align with acceptable standards. To promote such behaviour, he said the SC issues clear guidelines, reinforces ethical conduct through the Malaysian Code of Corporate Governance, and takes legal action against serious misconduct, including insider trading and market manipulation. "The second way is relying on Market Discipline. We do expect people to call out bad behaviour, poor results and poor decisions. "We do this by ensuring there is a working ecosystem monitoring what is going on, bodies like the Institutional Investors Council Malaysia (IIC), Institute of Corporate Directors Malaysia (ICDM), the Minority Shareholders Watch Group (MSWG) and also having a free press. "This is important as being stupid is not a crime but doing things in a "cincai" way that destroys value and causes losses, still needs to be addressed," he added. Mohammad Faiz said the third and final layer is regulatory discipline, which reflects the SC's core enforcement authority. He highlighted that the SC is the primary regulator of Malaysia's capital markets, which as of 2024 are valued at RM4.1 trillion in shares and bonds, compared to RM3.6 trillion in banking assets. This, he said, shows how vital the capital market is to the national economy. He added that while bodies like Bursa Malaysia and the Federation of Investment Managers Malaysia (FIMM) handle less serious infractions, the SC focuses on major breaches and holds the legal power to prosecute, impose fines and pursue jail terms when necessary. Addressing a common misconception, Faiz said there is often an assumption that company failures or losses must be due to wrongdoing, when in fact not all such outcomes are caused by fault or misconduct. "Businesses can collapse due to market disruptions or poor strategic decisions. These are not crimes, but part of the risk landscape in any competitive economy," he said. Faiz also clarified that the SC does not intervene in non-criminal matters or guarantee business outcomes, as companies and their shareholders are free to manage their own affairs provided they operate within legal boundaries. He said this principle is especially important when dealing with foreign investors, who expect fair and consistent treatment and take confidence in Malaysia's adherence to the rule of law, knowing that disputes will be handled fairly and enforcement powers will not be misused. He added that another key aspect of regulatory integrity is building trust, as market growth and prosperity depend on confidence that regulators act fairly, protect investors, and support market development without being overly conservative or hindering innovation. "Not everything we encouraged over the last 30 years has worked and some areas like digital assets and carbon credits still have some way to go before they become mainstream. "But this second mandate of market development is to reassure the market that we too have an interest to grow the market," he said. He concluded by saying that to create value, support growth and navigate future challenges, Malaysia needs a regulator that upholds integrity while being facilitative and forward-looking.