Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email Is it any surprise that protests are starting to appear in Penang and Selangor? Probably the parties involved want to emulate the success of earlier rallies and become another HINDRAF. Well, copying is the best of compliment I guess.
In Penang, an estimated 1000 people crowded KOMTAR from 2.3pm till around 4.00pm. Luckily for them, Lim Guan Eng is not like PM, if not surely they would have been “treated” with chemical water and tear gas. Instead the Chief Minister asked why no memorandum was submitted. Cheeky! 🙂 On a serious note, Lim said:
They can always come to my office. I will listen to them if it is in the interest of the people.”I will entertain all appointments, including those made by Umno leaders,” he said.Â
Now, compare that with response by national leaders to any type of protests by the “makkal” – be it againsts toll, cemeteries, development projects, hill flattenings, marginalisation of minority communities, or even electoral procedures. Deafening silence, brushed off, or given gift of water and gas.
Guan Eng also met up with 22 Muslim (note: not Malay) NGO groups (anti-UMNO I suppose) to hear their view. Kind of want to show that he makes use of his rather prominent ears (I was just telling Then that LGE looks a bit like Bush Junior!).
I was watching TV3 news- it is interesting to see how these guys manipulate the news. All those inteviewed were from certain party. No public were interview who opposed the rally, implying Penangites are supporting those people from certain party’s protest. Interestingly, a number of the protesters look suspiciously similar to those who were at KLCC on 25th November 2007. I don’t suppose these are imports of some sorts? Nothing was shown on Lim Guan Eng’s clarification on NEP (But the same news channel can afford to show HINDRAF rally whenever possible between November end and February). So, indirectly, the news provided a one-sided story which can easily raise tension in Penang. BTW, one of the interviewee said that since the opposition organised many protests and caused problem to the people and government, its is the DAP’s turn to feel the taste of its own medicine. Fair enough I suppose.
I am willing to listen, says Guan Eng
By ZARINAH DAUD
PENANG: Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said Umno leaders need not take to the streets to express their disappointment as they can always meet him on issues affecting Penang Malays.
He said he was surprised that those who took part in Friday’s demonstration did not submit any memorandum to the authorities.
“What is the demonstration for? Taking their expression to the street did not help much except for the massive traffic jam they created all over the island leading to Komtar.
“They can always come to my office. I will listen to them if it is in the interest of the people.”I will entertain all appointments, including those made by Umno leaders,” he said.
Police disperse protestors in Penang (update 2)
By TUNKU SHAHARIAH and BERNARD SEE
PENANG: A big group of protesters, mostly Umno members and supporters, took to the streets around Komtar after Friday prayers to protest against Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s remarks on the New Economic Policy. Chanting “Hidup Melayu” (long-live the Malays) and “Allahuakbar” (God is great), the protesters marched towards Komtar in Jalan Dr Lim Chwee Leong at about 2.30pm.
They held banners with messages such as “Kami Penduduk Pulau Pinang Menyokong Penuh Kepimpinan Pak Lah” (We fully support Pak Lah’s leadership), “Anwar Ibrahim Pengkhianat Bangsa” (Anwar Ibrahim, traitor of the Malay race), “Tak akan Melayu Hilang di Pulau Pinang” (Malays will not be sidelined in Penang) and “Kepimpinan DAP dibantah oleh Melayu Pulau Pinang” (Penang Malays Protest Against the DAP-led goverment).
Among those who participated in the hour-long street protest were Penang Umno secretary and state opposition leader Datuk Azhar Ibrahim, former deputy Chief Minister Datuk Abdul Rashid Abdullah, Kepala Batas Umno Youth deputy chief Reezal Merican Naina Merican, Bukit Mertajam Umno division chief Senator Datuk Musa Sheikh Fadzir, Tanjung Umno division chief Datuk Ahmad Ibnihajar and former Penanti assemblyman Datuk Abdul Jalil Abdul Majid. The protest was held in response to Lim’s statement that DAP and PKR would run the government “free from the New Economic Policy (NEP) that breeds cronyism, corruption and systemic inefficiency”.
Speaking to reporters, Musa said the state Umno would hand over a four-point memorandum to Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas next week in protest of Guan Eng’s statement. “We do not want to hand the memorandum to the Chief Minister as we believe he will not protect the rights of the Malays. We want Tun (Abdul Rahman) to advise him after we hand over the memorandum,” he said. Ahmad Ibnihajar denied that the protest was led by the state Umno but claimed that the Malays had gathered in response to an SMS circulated on Friday. He said the DAP-led government had not respected the rights of the Malays and that the Penang Malays “wanted them out”.
At 3.30pm, George Town OCPD Asst Comm Azam Abd Hamid advised the protesters to disperse, using a loud hailer but they continued to hang around the area. Thirty minutes later, the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) on stand-by nearby was called in to disperse the protesters. Only then did they leave. Roadblocks were put up along Jalan Tunku Kudin near the Penang Bridge to prevent protesters from neighbouring states from joining the protest.
Police had received a tip-off about the protest on Thursday afternoon. Acting state police chief Senior Asst Comm (I) Datuk Salleh Mat Rasid said no untoward incidents were reported but two men were brought back for questioning. “They were subsequently released after their statements were taken down. It was a relatively peaceful protest. “Rumours of water cannons being used on protesters and bricks thrown into the shops in Komtar are all unfounded,” he said. Businesses such as jewellery shops and travel agencies located on the ground floor of the two nearby shopping complexes closed for business, but re-opened at 5pm.
Penang Umno supporters demonstrate against NEP changes
By : Sharanjit Singh, Audrey Dermawan and Adie Suri Zulkefli
source
GEORGE TOWN, Fri:
Shouts of `Hidup Melayu` rang around the landmark Komtar building here today as 1,000 Umno members gathered to protest the DAP-PKR coalition government’s intent to change New Economic Policy practices in the state. Those taking part in the gathering demanded that the state government leave the NEP alone and also called on chief minister Lim Guan Eng to ensure the Malays were not marginalised under the new state administration. They said he should not turn Penang into another Singapore.
Police, including light strike force personnel, were on standby as the crowd started to gather along Jalan Magazine after Friday prayers about 2.15pm. They carried banners which read Jangan Hapuskan Dasar Ekonomi Baru (do not abolish the NEP), Kami Melayu Pulau Pinang menyokong Kepimpinan Pak Lah (We the Malays of Penang support Pak Lah (prime minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s leadership) and Hidup Melayu (long live the Malays).
North East district police chief assistant commissioner Azam Abdul Hamid later ordered the crowd to disperse after informing them that police did not issue any permit for the gathering. He later called on the person leading the gathering to come forward if they wanted to present a memorandum to the state government.
At this point, Bukit Mertajam Umno division chief Datuk Musa Sheikh Fadzir stepped forward and tried to address the crowd. However, he was prevented from giving any speeches. Also, there were other state Umno leaders, including state Umno liaison deputy chief Datuk Seri Abdul Rashid Abdullah and state Umno secretary Datuk Azhar Ibrahim. The crowd dispersed peacefully after shouting slogans for about 45 minutes and police did not arrest anyone.
Azhar later told reporters that the gathering was organised as the Malays wanted to vent their anger against the state government’s stand on the NEP.He said Lim should not issue anymore statements that could hurt the feelings of the Malays. Malays, he said, wanted all privileges that had been accorded to them to be maintained. He said any move to introduce the open tender system in Penang would only lead to the marginalisation of the Malays. “We will plan to hold similar gatherings in the future and we will submit our memorandum to the governor soon,” he said.
In an immediate response, Lim said the state government did not have any problems who wanted to take part in gatherings. “It is all part of freedom of speech. However, I am surprised that they did not give me any memorandum. This is the first time a demonstration has been held but those who organised it did not have any memorandum to be submitted,” he said. Lim said the newly-formed state government was willing to listen to what the people had to say, including those from Umno.
However, he stressed that the state government would proceed with its plan to have open tenders as it was the best method to cut out corruption, cronyism and systematic inefficiency. “It looks like Umno has failed in its bid to run down the new state government. There are only trying to draw the people’s attention away from their own internal problems,” he said.
Umno holds one-hour protest at Komtar
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/79822
Mar 14, 08 2:58pm
Some 1,000 Umno members and supporters staged a one-hour protest outside the Penang state government office in Komtar this afternoon over the New Economic Policy controversy. The crowd – which gathered there after Friday prayers around 2.30pm – chanted slogans such as ‘Don’t sideline the Malays’ and ‘Don’t abolish NEP’. The demonstration, led by Penang Umno secretary Azhar Ibrahim, to protest Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s declaration that the new DAP-led state government would do away with NEP. Among those who spoke at the rally included former deputy chief minister Abdul Rashid Abdullah, Sungai Dua state assemblyperson Jasmin Mohamed and Umno Bukit Mertajam chief Musa Sheikh Fadzir.
There were about 3,000 onlookers as eight FRU trucks armed with water cannons were deployed and the crowd eventually dispersed after the police gave the protestors a five-minute ultimatum.
Organisers described the demonstration as a “protest by Penang Malays against the state government’s discrimination and marginalisation of the community”. The demonstrators carried banners in Bahasa Malaysia with slogans such as “Jangan Pinggirkan Orang Melayu” (Don’t Marginalise the Malays), “Jangan Hapuskan Hak Orang Melayu” (Don’t Abolish Malay Rights) and “Jangan Hapuskan Dasar Ekonomi Baru” (Don’t Abolish the New Economic Policy).
They march along Jalan Ria service road that leads to Penang’s tallest building Komtar, where the Chief Minister’s office is located, shouting anti-government slogans and chanting “Allahu Akbar” and “Hidup Melayu”. When the demonstrators approached Komtar, they were told by George Town OCPD ACP Azam Abdul Hamid to disperse within five minutes.
Four-point memorandum
Musa then explain to Azam that the protestors wanted to hand over a four-point memorandum to Lim, who was sworn into office four days ago. But when Azam allowed a delegation from the group to do so, the leaders declined claiming that it was pointless to meet a chief minister who had made up his mind “to destroy the Malays”. A number of Umno representatives will however hand over the memorandum to Penang Yang Dipertua Negeri Abdul Rahman Abbas in a weeks’ time. “This is a Malay country, but Malays are marginalised in their own country,” said Ahmad, who also described PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim “as a traitor who had sold the Malays to Chinese and Indians”.
When asked whether it was premature to hold the protest as the state government was barely a weeks’ old, Ahmad said the Penang Malays were provoked by Lim’s anti-Malay statement. It is learnt that the four-point memorandum included calling on the DAP-led state government to honour and fulfill its promises made in its electoral manifesto; stressing that Umno was still a relevant political party to Penang Malays, calling on the state government not abolish the NEP and marginalise the Malays and to safeguard Malay special privileges.
Although the demonstrators defied repeated orders from the police to disperse, no force was used against the crowd. Shops in the area were closed for business and traffic was brought to a standstill during the protest. However, no untoward incident was reported and the protestors as well as curious onlookers left the scene by 4pm. The rally came hot in the heels of Prime Minister and Umno president Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s accusation that Lim was stoking racial tensions by his remark that he would abolish the NEP.
Immediate response from Guan Eng
In an immediate response, Lim expressed regret that the demonstrators were unwilling to accept the decision of voters in last Saturday’s general elections. “The people had democratically elected a DAP-led state government but Umno could not take it,” he said, while thanking the police for keeping the situation under control. However, he said it was Umno’s right to hold a demonstration to vent its anger so long the opposition party does not compromise public safety and security. Lim also alleged that Umno had twisted the facts contained in his statement by claiming that the state government would abolish NEP. “I only stated that the state government would do away with open tenders and contracts to eliminate corruption, nepotism and cronyism.”Our tender awarding system will be fair and just to all,” he assured.
Unlike the previous Barisan Nasional state governments, he said the present state government was neither anti-Malay nor pro-non Malay.”We are pro-Malaysians,” he told a packed news conference.
Anwar: What has Umno done?
Meanwhile, Anwar said the Umno-led demonstration was proof that the opposition party was a “sore and bad loser”. He added that Umno appeared unable to take defeat gracefully. “They could not stomach it. The state government is not even one-week old, Umno already described it as anti-Malay and held a street protest,” he said. Instead of protesting, he said Umno should look at its own achievements when it was in power for 50 years. “Until now, Malays in Penang are still living in poverty. What the local Umno leaders have done about it while enriching themselves,” he said.
Azhar, who is state opposition leader designate and Penaga state assemblyperson, fired the parting shot at the end of today’s demonstration.”This is only the beginning to bring down the state government. Our struggle will not be over until we re-capture control of the state government.”
Protest in Shah Alam too
Meanwhile, about 100 people believed to be Umno members and supporters held a protest march in Shah Alam against the new PKR-led Selangor government. Marching from the Shah Alam state mosque to the state government building a couple of hundred meters away, they carried placards and banners denouncing PKR and its allegedly ‘anti-Malay’ allies, reported Chinese daily Sin Chew’s online portal.
Among the banners, one said: ‘New Selangor government: Puppets of DAP’. Another said ‘With the abolition of the NEP, Malays will be refugees on their own land’.The groups dispersed after 10 minutes upon reaching the state government building where about 50 FRU and ordinary police personnel were on standby.
Group protests outside S’gor secretariatBy DHARMENDER SINGH
SHAH ALAM: A small group of people marched from the state mosque to the state secretariat building here Friday to protest against DAP’s decision to abolish the New Economic Policy (NEP). The participants started to gather at the roundabout near the mosque just after Friday prayers at about 2.30pm and were seen standing at the side of the road carrying banners.
The protesters stopped right in front of the line formed by the police Light Strike Force (LSF) members, about 150m from the main entrance to the building, but continued with their cries. They left peacefully about 20min later.
Shah Alam Deputy OCPD Deputy Supt Mohd Shariff Abdul Wahid said police were aware of the planned gathering and confirmed that no permit had been issued for it. “The secretariat building is a protected government building so we stationed 50 men there including two units of the LSF as a precautionary measure,” he said.
He said the protesters, who belonged to a political party, had asked to meet with Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim but the police did not permit this due to security concerns.
Muslim NGOs meet Penang CM (updated)
PENANG: Twenty-two Muslim non-governmental organisations have expressed support for the state government’s call for transparency in implementing the New Economic Policy (NEP).
Jamaah Islah Malaysia (JIM) Penang adviser Dr Danial Zainal Abidin said representatives from the organisations met Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng Friday morning and realised that the state government was not against the NEP. “Lim told us that he had no intentions of throwing away the NEP. He, however, mentioned that it has been tainted with cronyism and corruption, and that is what he wants to throw away, not the entire NEP. “So, if that is the concept, then we agree with him,” he said after a dialogue session with Lim at Komtar.
Guan Eng chatting with representatives of the Muslim NGOs who met him at his office on Friday. Lim had on his first day as Chief Minister said he would practise an open tender policy for the awarding of contracts and projects to prevent cronyism and corruption. Dr Danial said Islam stressed on transparency and justice not only for Muslims but also for all religions and races. He said the NGOs stressed on the need for transparency, anti-corruption and cleanliness in the government. “I think YAB has listened and agreed to what we said. If he can fulfil these, then it is in line with Islamic regulations and rules,” he said. Dr Danial said the NGOs were concerned about the fate of Penang Malays and Islamic institutions after hearing talk that the new state government might curb their activities.
He said the NGOs had asked Lim on the state’s policy concerning mosques, suraus, Sekolah Agama Rakyat (SAR) as well as on the problems faced by the Malays in Tanjung Tokong. “Lim has answered them well and we hope that he can fulfil the state’s promises,” he said.
When met by reporters later, Lim told the people to stop listening to rumours that the Penang Malays would be marginalised under the DAP-PKR coalition rule. “Before being sworn-in as Chief Minister, I went to Tanjung Tokong to find out about the problems faced by the Malays there. “So, I wish to reiterate that we are a government for all Malaysians, irrespective of race, religion and background,” he said.
