Turun Anwar rally was not a people's movement, says Maria
PETALING JAYA : Former Bersih chairman Maria Chin Abdullah has questioned the intent and makeup of the recent Turun Anwar rally, saying it did not reflect the voice of the people and lacked clear demands.
While acknowledging the people's right to assemble, Maria said she did not attend the July 26 protest because it did not appear to represent the wider Malaysian public or any concrete issues.
'So my question is: if you want Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to step down, the next step should be to table a vote of no confidence in Parliament but that hasn't been done.
'Anwar just presented the 13th Malaysia Plan but there was no mention of a vote of no confidence. So to be honest, I'm not sure what Turun Anwar was really about,' Maria said at youth-based NGO Mandiri's 10th year celebration of the Tangkap Najib rally.
The Tangkap Najib rally, held in Kuala Lumpur, was to urge the resignation of then Prime Minister Najib Razak due to his involvement in the 1MDB scandal. Police presence was heavy, and after about 200 protesters gathered, the police moved in to arrest those refusing to disperse, with around 20 to 29 youths arrested.
Maria, a former Petaling Jaya MP, said many of those involved in Turun Anwar were politicians and elected representatives and the rally lacked a unifying cause that should resonate with the majority of Malaysians.
'Of course, they have every right to be on the streets but if we want to build a real movement, it has to come from the rakyat. It has to be based on what they're feeling. What are their issues?
'I didn't go (to the Turun Anwar Rally). And if I were to go, I would want to be clear on what the rally is about. And I would want to see it as a representative of Malaysia.
'I'm not saying we did everything perfectly, but the Bersih movement was reflective not only of Malaysia's diverse, multicultural makeup, it also presented the government at the time with very critical issues,' she added.
Mandeep Singh, also a former Bersih chairman, said the effectiveness and messaging of the Turun Anwar rally left much to be desired.
'It's the job of the opposition to bring down your opponent. But what is your demand, actually? What are you asking for? Economic reform?,' he said.
'What are your demands? What are you trying to show? At Tangkap Najib there were activists, students, different civil societies and there were people who had no political interests. It was a people's movement. This one is a political movement, just anti-Anwar,' Mandeep said.
Police estimated that around 18,000 people attended the Turun Anwar rally last Saturday, though organisers claimed that more than 200,000 rally-goers were present.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
32 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
MoF: Targeted subsidies for RON95 petrol to be unveiled by end of September
KUALA LUMPUR: The Finance Ministry (MoF) said the detailed implementation plans for targeted subsidies for RON95 petrol will be announced by end of September, in line with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's statement on July 23. In a written parliamentary reply, MoF said the government is actively developing and testing the subsidy targeting mechanism to ensure smooth execution upon rollout. "This includes refining data from agencies such as the National Registration Department, Road Transport Department and the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM)," it said. "The government aims to adopt a more comprehensive approach to ensure RON95 subsidies reach the intended target groups." MoF was responding to a question from Mohd Sany Hamzan (PH-Hulu Langat), who asked for an update on the subsidy retargeting implementation, particularly the front-end and back-end phases announced by the Economy Ministry. According to MoF, once implemented, the retargeted subsidy mechanism will allow eligible Malaysians to enjoy RON95 at RM1.99 per litre through MyKad verification. Non-citizens and those ineligible for the subsidy will pay the unsubsidised market rate. Earlier, Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan, who has taken over the duties of the economy minister, said the first detailed application of the Central Database Hub (Padu) will be for implementing targeted subsidies for RON95 recipients, pending its full rollout.
Free Malaysia Today
38 minutes ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Changes to 13MP weren't out of nowhere, says ministry
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (centre) and other Cabinet members holding up the 13th Malaysia Plan document outside the Dewan Rakyat last week. (Bernama pic) PETALING JAYA : The changes made to the 13th Malaysia Plan following Rafizi Ramli's resignation as economy minister were not sudden, according to the government. The economy ministry said the amendments were instead part of its measures to ensure the 13MP was aligned with the Madani economy's aspirations. 'The changes and amendments made to the 13MP draft were not sudden in nature or outside of our planning. 'The preparation of the 13MP, meant for the next five years, was executed based on necessity following holistic negotiation processes involving all stakeholders,' it said in a written parliamentary reply. The ministry said 'overhauls and revisions' were made throughout the document's preparation to ensure every view and proposal received was taken into account while staying true to the government's main policies. It was replying to Ronald Kiandee (PN-Beluran), who had asked what drastic policy changes necessitated the 13MP being amended at the last minute. Kiandee, a Bersatu vice-president, was referring to the announcement on June 27 that finance minister II Amir Hamzah Azizan was given the duties of the economy portfolio and tasked with amending and overhauling the 13MP. Amir had said he received 'a lot of feedback' from other ministers which necessitated an overhaul of the 13MP. Rafizi questioned why the 13MP needed to be revamped. However, he later said he was happy that nearly all the major policy reforms he had included were retained in the tabled version of the document.
Free Malaysia Today
an hour ago
- Free Malaysia Today
PKR leader's claims linked to internal auditing, police probe finds
Wangsa Maju PKR division chief Lai Chen Heng said a video clip had been selectively edited and circulated to smear his image. (Facebook pic) PETALING JAYA : A police investigation into claims by a PKR leader on unaudited contributions to a division found that the issue revolved around internal auditing, the home minister said. Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said it was also related to issues with the administration of the party. He said this in a written parliamentary reply to Fadhli Shaari (PN-Pasir Mas), who wanted an update on an investigation into a viral video clip featuring a man believed to be the Wangsa Maju PKR division chief. In May, a video, which surfaced on several social media platforms, appears to show Wangsa Maju division chief Lai Chen Heng commenting on financial contributions to the division from a prominent businessman. He allegedly referred to them as 'unaudited funds' associated with a senior political leader. But Lai maintained that the clip had been selectively edited and circulated to smear his image. In April, he had denied claims that the division's 2024 financial statements had been manipulated. He said such claims were baseless and politically motivated, adding that the financial report presented during the division's annual general meeting on March 1 did not receive any objections.
