Mass anti-government rallies in Malaysia
Large anti-government protests took place in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur and provincial centres over last weekend demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Razak despite a government ban. While the police estimated the crowd in the capital at 35,000, organisers from the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) put the numbers at 200,000 on Saturday, swelling to 300,000 on Sunday.
Whatever the exact figures, the protests are the largest since the mass opposition rallies that followed the 2013 national elections in which Najibs United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and its allies retained power despite failing to secure 50 percent of the vote. Bersih, a grouping of non-government organisations associated with the opposition Peoples Alliance (PR), was formed to demand electoral reform and an end to the present electoral gerrymander.
Najib is currently embroiled in a scandal involving the heavily indebted state-owned 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) investment fund from which nearly $US700 million allegedly found its way into the prime ministers personal accounts and was used to finance UMNOs 2013 election campaign. Najib has rejected demands that he stand aside, claiming the money came from a private Middle Eastern donor and was being held for UMNO.
The government allowed the rally to go ahead despite last week declaring it illegal, banning the wearing of signature Bersih yellow t-shirts and blocking websites supporting the rally. In 2011 and 2012 police violently attacked Bersih rallies. Police interference and arrests at last weekends protests, known as Bersih 4.0, appear to have been limited.
Read more: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2015/09/01/mala-s01.html