
Saturday rally an expression of frustration, not politically engineered, says grassroots MCA leader
Kanthan Baru MCA deputy chairman Jimmy Loh said the rally to be held Saturday (July 26) reflected the people's growing anger over the rising cost of living and unfulfilled election promises
'MCA does not support extremist political actions, especially those linked to Perikatan Nasional, but the people's suffering cannot be brushed aside.
'The people have had enough, and this protest is their voice, and not a political stunt.
'This is not an attempted power grab, but a final wake-up call to a government too caught up in self-praise and statistical achievements,' he said in a statement Friday (July 25).
Loh said if the government continued to be arrogant and deaf, then it should be prepared to face a larger wave of public anger.
He also urged leaders to reconnect with their constituents and not just appear during election season.
'You were elected to serve, and if you cannot hear the cries of those left behind by the economy, you do not deserve to lead.
'People want food, jobs, and not gratitude speeches,' he said in reference to the Prime Minister's recent remarks thanking Malaysians for their support.
Loh also questioned Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's visibility on the ground in his own Tambun parliamentary constituency.
He argued that the so-called macroeconomic recovery has failed to reflect the harsh realities of everyday Malaysians.
Loh also said the promises made ahead of the 15th General Election, including on cost of living, judicial reform, integrity, and transparency had not been fulfilled.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Focus Malaysia
an hour ago
- Focus Malaysia
PMX comes under fire for mocking rabble-rouser Malaysians 'to go buy petrol in Singapore'
FORMER UMNO supreme council member Isham Jalil has led a chorus of detractors to troll Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's out of the box notion that detractors who complained about high petrol prices in Malaysia should try to re-fuel in Singapore or for that matter even Thailand and Indonesia. For context, PMX who is also the Finance Minister had snubbed opposition leaders at Saturday's (July 26) Turun Anwar rally who criticised the proposed six sen RON95 price reduction to RM1.99/litre as being 'chicken feed' given such cut has to take into account implications to the nation's financial stability. 'First and foremost, Singapore has no oil companies. There are no oil wells either. That's why the price is expensive,' Isham who was expelled from UMNO on Dec 7, 2023 for opposing the party's collaborations with DAP in elections schooled PMX on his Facebook page. 'Secondly, while the petrol price in Singapore is four or five times that of our RON95, their per capita earnings is five to six times ours. If we adjust the per capita earnings with purchasing power parity, it is still three times higher than Malaysia. 'As their purchasing power is much higher than ours, it is most insensible of you to lash out at Malaysians by challenging them to buy petrol in Singapore.' The once special officer to incarcerated former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak went on to chide PMX by reminding him that he was the one who previously claimed that oil companies in Malaysia made billions, hence he promised to further lower petrol prices in Malaysia upon assuming the premiership. 'But after 20 years of making promises, oil price only dropped by 6 sen/litre. Podah (literally, 'damn').' Elsewhere, Bersatu information chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz warned Malaysians against being overly elated with the RM1.99/litre price tag that was unveiled by PMX as part of his 'extraordinary tribute to Malaysians' package last week. 'Since when has the price of petrol come down? What was announced has not even been implemented yet,' he penned on his Facebook. This is a valid point given even if the RM1.99/litre price tag materialises, not all Malaysians might get to enjoy the six sen/litre discount on grounds that this is part of the fuel subsidy rationalisation exercise that ultimately entails a free float of RON95 (well-to-do motorists may end up having to pay RM2.50-RM2.60/litre). 'With the current fall in world crude oil prices, the fall in the value of the greenback and by using the Rafizi formula, Anwar should have been able to lower the price of RON95 petrol and diesel to RM1.70/litre now instead of end-September,' opined the former press secretary to then communications and multimedia minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa. 'It seems the Turun Anwar rally has had a huge impact on the brains and emotions of PMX, the Madanons, Walanons and most strangely, the UMDAP gang. In fact, the UMDAP gang has been experiencing postpartum blues since last Saturday.' – July 29, 2025


The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Rally rubbish claim sparks debate
Eyesore: The overflowing bags of rubbish and discarded plastic cups seen here were part of the 20 tonnes left behind after the Turun Anwar rally. — Photo courtesy of Nga Kor Ming A HEATED exchange erupted in the Dewan Rakyat after Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming defended his earlier statement that 20 metric tonnes of rubbish were left behind after the recent Turun Anwar rally. He said the figure was based on findings from Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation (SWCorp). 'These numbers are not from me, but from SWCorp. 'Hundreds of their workers were mobilised to clear streets of rubbish following the rally. 'I do not deny that there were PAS members who had helped clear the waste, and I thank them. 'But I also cannot deny that there were 20 metric tonnes of rubbish left across Sogo, Dataran Merdeka and Petaling Street,' Nga told Datuk Awang Hashim (PN–Pendang), who asked for clarification on the figure. Awang demanded proof, saying that it was improbable that the rally participants had left behind that much rubbish. 'If there are no facts, then it is a lie,' said the Opposition MP. Nga replied that the data came from SWCorp. 'Even their CEO worked till late in the night during the clean-up,' he added. Several Opposition MPs then stood up and objected to Nga's claim; however, Deputy Speaker Alice Lau told Awang to stop speaking and allowed Nga to continue responding to other questions. The rally drew a crowd of about 18,000, according to the Kuala Lumpur police. On another matter, Nga said over 2,000 business premises were seized after their owners were found to have committed offences, including transferring their operating permits and licences to foreign nationals. Since 2023, he said as many as 14,834 compound notices have been issued, 23 licences revoked and 2,880 business premises seized for various offences. Overall, a total of 11,973 compounds were issued, 13 licences revoked and 2,727 seizures made in operations across 12 local authorities. 'Local authorities have never permitted foreign nationals to apply for or own any trading licences for small businesses, including sundry stores, restaurants, workshops and markets,' Nga told Mohd Hasnizan Harun (PN-Hulu Selangor). Mohd Hasnizan had asked about the ministry's efforts to tackle the issue of foreign nationals running businesses in Malaysia, especially sundry stores.


The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Two nabbed for whipping effigy of PM at rally
KUALA LUMPUR: Two people have been arrested after a video of an effigy resembling the Prime Minister was seen being whipped during the 'Turun Anwar' rally. Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Mohd Khalid Ismail said the two men, aged 21 and 47, were detained yesterday. He added that a remand order for both will be obtained to facilitate investigations. While the statement did not name those held, Chegubard aka Badrul Hisham Shaharin's lawyer confirmed his arrest yesterday. Earlier, acting Kuala Lumpur police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Mohamed Usuf Jan Mohamad said the incident was detected via a recorded video around the Masjid Negara area. He added that the matter was being investigated by the Bukit Aman Classified Crime Investigation Unit under the Sedition Act, Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 and Penal Code. 'A remand order will be obtained on both suspects,' he said in a statement. The illegal use of drones during the rally was also being investigated. 'We do not allow any drones to be flown over groups of large people. Drones can be used for other purposes aside from photography, but we are concerned it could be used for sabotage,' DCP Mohamed Usuf said.