Turun Anwar rally was not a people's movement, says Maria
PETALING JAYA : Former Bersih chairman Maria Chin Abdullah has questioned the intent and makeup of the recent Turun Anwar rally, saying it did not reflect the voice of the people and lacked clear demands.
While acknowledging the people's right to assemble, Maria said she did not attend the July 26 protest because it did not appear to represent the wider Malaysian public or any concrete issues.
'So my question is: if you want Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to step down, the next step should be to table a vote of no confidence in Parliament but that hasn't been done.
'Anwar just presented the 13th Malaysia Plan but there was no mention of a vote of no confidence. So to be honest, I'm not sure what Turun Anwar was really about,' Maria said at youth-based NGO Mandiri's 10th year celebration of the Tangkap Najib rally.
The Tangkap Najib rally, held in Kuala Lumpur, was to urge the resignation of then Prime Minister Najib Razak due to his involvement in the 1MDB scandal. Police presence was heavy, and after about 200 protesters gathered, the police moved in to arrest those refusing to disperse, with around 20 to 29 youths arrested.
Maria, a former Petaling Jaya MP, said many of those involved in Turun Anwar were politicians and elected representatives and the rally lacked a unifying cause that should resonate with the majority of Malaysians.
'Of course, they have every right to be on the streets but if we want to build a real movement, it has to come from the rakyat. It has to be based on what they're feeling. What are their issues?
'I didn't go (to the Turun Anwar Rally). And if I were to go, I would want to be clear on what the rally is about. And I would want to see it as a representative of Malaysia.
'I'm not saying we did everything perfectly, but the Bersih movement was reflective not only of Malaysia's diverse, multicultural makeup, it also presented the government at the time with very critical issues,' she added.
Mandeep Singh, also a former Bersih chairman, said the effectiveness and messaging of the Turun Anwar rally left much to be desired.
'It's the job of the opposition to bring down your opponent. But what is your demand, actually? What are you asking for? Economic reform?,' he said.
'What are your demands? What are you trying to show? At Tangkap Najib there were activists, students, different civil societies and there were people who had no political interests. It was a people's movement. This one is a political movement, just anti-Anwar,' Mandeep said.
Police estimated that around 18,000 people attended the Turun Anwar rally last Saturday, though organisers claimed that more than 200,000 rally-goers were present.
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