Malaysians turn out in thousands to defy police
Against the odds: Despite police saying a rally was illegal and setting up roadblocks, Malaysian opposition supporters gather to protest about rising fuel prices. Photo: AFP
THOUSANDS of Malaysians braved police road blocks and the threat of arrest yesterday for a mass political rally over higher fuel prices and fresh sodomy accusations against opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.
Organisers were forced to change the venue twice, fearing a clash with police would result in a state of emergency, which could jeopardise the significant gains made by opposition parties in the March election.
The police declared the rally illegal and set up roadblocks, turning some buses away.
But despite hovering police helicopters and a fraudulent text message claiming to be from Mr Anwar telling people the rally was cancelled, the gathering was surprisingly peaceful and well attended, with an estimated 10,000 people showing up.
Any public gathering of more than four people in Malaysia requires a permit from police, but organisers did not bother, saying their application would have been automatically rejected. Yesterday's rally was the first of many, organisers said.
"This protest sends a strong signal to Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi that the people are angry," said Hatta Ramli, a senior official in the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party.
He said protesters had "braved all of the intimidation and threats coming their way".
The rally was originally organised to protest against surging fuel prices. Last month, the Government reduced subsidies, resulting in a 41% jump in petrol prices and a 63% increase in diesel prices.
But it evolved into a general anti-Government rally after the new sodomy allegations against Mr Anwar and the scandal surrounding the opposition leader's nemesis, Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, who has been linked to the murder case of a Mongolian woman who was strapped with explosives and blown up.
Mr Najib was allegedly having an affair with the translator but he denies ever knowing her.
In a new development, a private detective has gone missing after suddenly retracting a claim that suggested links between Mr Najib and the slain woman, a lawyer said yesterday. Balasubramaniam Perumal, his wife and three children disappeared and could not be reached on their mobile phones over the past two days, said N. Surendran.
Last week, one of Mr Anwar's male aides told police he was sodomised by him. The allegation mirrored similar charges against Mr Anwar 10 years ago, eventually overturned after he spent six years in prison.
Organisers wanted to hold yesterday's protest in the middle of Kuala Lumpur, but were told by police roadblocks would be set up to stop people attending. They ended up holding the rally in Selangor, about 30 minutes by car from the capital, because the state is controlled by Mr Anwar's People's Justice Party.
In a surprise result, Malaysia's three main opposition parties won a record number of seats and control of five states in elections last March.