“Rakyat Lawan Anwar” Rally To Continue This Saturday Despite It Being “Illegal”
The police advised the rally organisers not to go forward with it since they have not received approval from the venue owner, the Putrajaya Corporation.
Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter, or Telegram and WhatsApp channels for the latest stories and updates.
The planned Demo Rakyat Lawan Anwar rally scheduled for Saturday (29 June) is illegal as it had not met law requirements, said city police chief Commissioner Datuk Rusdi Mohd Isa.
Rusdi said although the rally organisers had submitted a notice to the police on 14 June, the Putrajaya Corporation is not allowing the gathering to take place at the intended location.
The rally organisers planned to hold the gathering at the public car park opposite the Seri Perdana Complex in Putrajaya.
With no green light from Putrajaya Corporation, the police recommended the organisers not to go forward with the plan.
One of the most important requirements under the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 is getting the permission of a venue owner.
However, if the organisers still press forward with the rally, the police will facilitate but also investigate under the Act.
Organisers say “We will go on!”
Despite the advice given, the Demi Negara movement coordinator Aidil Yunus aka YB Viral on Facebook, said the rally will continue as planned.
Aidil expects at least 600 people to join the rally at 4pm tomorrow.
Demi Negara rally has 8 demands to present to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Some of the demands include lowering the price of diesel and not raising the price of RON95 and gas, helping those impacted financially since the Covid-19 pandemic, and restoring the local rice supply without a price increase.
They also want Anwar to address the current rise in living costs and to stop stifling freedom of speech in the country.
Aidil added that the rally was not a call to pressure Anwar to step down but to urge him to improve the country’s administration.
Aidil said the group has a right to gather and promised to take responsibility for anyone causing trouble during the rally.
He shared that the group has also sought help from PAS’ Unit Amal to help with crowd control, citing that between 20 to 30 of them will be present tomorrow.
The rally’s legal adviser Rafique Rashid Ali hoped the Kuala Lumpur police chief, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Home Minister would help by allowing the authorities to green light the rally, adding that it’ll help Malaysians exercise their right to protest and voice their opinions.
Anwar used to stage and organise rallies too
Anwar isn’t a stranger to protests and rallies and has staged some of his own in previous years.
Among the rallies were those that were part of the Reformasi movement after his sacking from Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s Cabinet in September 1998.
Anwar was sacked from his position as the deputy prime minister. We all know how this saga continued years later.
The Reformasi movement initially demanded Mahathir to resign as prime minister and for the end of the Barisan Nasional-led government. It later evolved into a reformist movement demanding social equality and social justice.
The Reformasi movement has a long influence on generations of Malaysians.
While that’s the most enduring movement, Anwar had been advocating for causes he believed in for a long time.
Anwar’s earliest rallies were during his younger years, especially when he founded the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM) in 1971.
He was the ABIM president for two terms and was arrested during the 1974 student demonstrations in Baling, Kedah in support of farmers demonstrating against rural poverty. He went to prison without trial for nearly three years under the Internal Security Act for this.
In 1981, he chaired a broad civil society coalition to oppose the Societies Amendment Bill, which was meant to curb ABIM’s growing influence.
Share your thoughts with us via TRP’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Threads.
