Hundreds of protesters, made up of students and youth activists, descended on the capital today, where they called for the resignation of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and his Cabinet, a full parliamentary session and an automatic loan moratorium for all.
Gathering outside Masjid Jamek, carrying banners and placards which read “Kerajaan Gagal” (Failed Government) while urging Muhyiddin to step down, they were soon stopped in their tracks by the police who said they did not have permission to gather at Dataran Merdeka.
“We don’t know why we weren’t given permission. It’s not like we are an army,” pointed out Dr Thanussha Francis Xavier, vice-president of MUDA.
“We are not satisfied but this is not the end,” she promised.
Another protester, Firdaus Zin, said they felt it was their civic duty to fight the “corrupted and unconstitutional government”, noting how it had failed to heed calls by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to debate the emergency ordinances in Parliament.
Describing the recent “drama in Parliament” as embarrassing, Firdaus said even the international media had been reporting on it.
In a rare royal rebuke on Thursday, the King said he was aggrieved by de facto law minister Takiyuddin Hassan’s statement that the emergency ordinances had been revoked.
The King said the minister and Attorney-General Idrus Harun had failed to abide by his request for the ordinances to be debated in Parliament.
In response, the Prime Minister’s Office said the government’s revocation of the emergency ordinances was done in accordance with the law.
“Has the government no shame?” asked Firdaus. “They are full of excuses.
“I’m sure there would be millions out on the street now if there was no pandemic. We can’t just sit at home. We have to fight for the nation. If not us, then who?”
Another protester, who wanted to be known as Hailey, said the youths were unhappy with the government’s ineffectiveness, especially in dealing with the pandemic.
“Over 8,000 people have died due to Covid-19, and for what?”
A spokesman for the the organisers, Sekretariat Solidariti Rakyat (SSR), Mohd Asraf Sharafi, said the turnout proved the youth’s displeasure at the government’s inability to manage the pandemic and the ensuing economic and social fallouts.
“You can see today that the youths have risen up because they are not happy with the government. Our fight will not end here.”
In a statement later, SSR said five activists from the group were summoned to the Dang Wangi police station at 10am tomorrow to record their statements.
It also thanked everyone who took part in today’s protest both online and offline, adding that it estimated around 2,000 people had gathered today.
“Today, our participants have shown that we can and are capable of protesting on the streets safely to uphold our rights,” it said.
The group, however, expressed disappointment that protestors were not able to enter Dataran Merdeka although the police had acknowledged that it was a peaceful protest.