Fight for S'gor begins with Sunday march to Palace by Pakatan, BN groups

Black is anti-Pakatan, Red is pro-Pakatan

Two opposing groups are set to go head-to-head with each planning to submit a memorandum to Istana Negara on Sunday on issues involving the Selangor government.

A thousand-strong group of 'red shirts' (supporters of the Selangor government) and some 2,000 'black shirts' (members of a movement opposed to the state government) will march to the palace that day.

As part of the Air Untuk Rakyat (Water for People) campaign, the Selangor government will organise a march from the National Mosque to the palace.

"We will mobilise about 50-60 buses of people. Each local government will send its representatives,” said coordinator and communications director in the MB's office Badrul Amin Bahrom when contacted.

They are requesting royal intervention in the state's water tussle with the federal government and water concessionaire Syabas which may see the water tariff skyrocket by 37 percent.

Badrul Amin estimated that thousands wearing red shirts will turn up for the march which will start from the National Mosque at noon and proceed to the palace.

On the other side are the Anti-Selangor Abuses Movement (Gaps), which is protesting alleged abuses by the Pakatan Rakyat-led Selangor government.

“Gaps is not a political organisation, but we are concerned about the people of Selangor, 58 percent of whom are Malays whose rights are being marginalised,” claimed its president Hamidzun Khairuddin at a press conference in Shah Alam today.

The movement, made up of representatives from 50 NGOs, will hand over its memorandum to the Agong to complain about allegations of misconduct by the Selangor government, added Hamidzun.

Among others, the allegations focus on the illegal mining of sand, the purchase of the debts of property developer Talam Corporation and the closure of Institut Kemahiran Yayasan Selangor.

The group, wearing black shirts, will gather at the Masjid Jamek in Kampung Baru at 12.30pm and then march to the palace.

'Friendly encounter'

Asked what will happen if the two groups meet, each sides vowed to maintain decorum.

“We hope there will be no provocations, but you must understand, we are in the thousands and they are just 2,000. But if they still provoke us, they have to understand, we have feelings too,” warned Badrul Amin.

Hamidzun also pledged that his black shirts will be decorous.

“We will not clash with anyone. We are a cultured organisation that follows the rules," assured Hamidzun.

“If we gather, it will be peaceful and not with the intention of clashing with anyone. If we meet, we shall shake hands with them, if they want to. We shall continue with our peaceful demonstration."

Both groups still have not obtained permits from the police for the planned demonstrations.

Meanwhile, Bernama reported that more than 30 members of the Selangor 4B Youth Movement held a demonstration for 10 minutes in front of the Selangor Youth and Cultural Complex in Section 7, Shah Alam protesting against the PKR statements on Malay supremacy.

At the PKR annual congress over the weekend, PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail had asked for the concept of Malay supremacy to be abandoned.

- Malaysiakini