UPDATED VIDEOS INSERTED KOTA SARANG SEMUT, KEDAH - More than 80,000 people - double the number expected - turned up at the Black 505 rally held at the PAS headquarters here to cheer on Anwar Ibrahim and his Pakatan Rakyat coalition as they fight for an electoral victory they claim was "stolen" from them at the May 5 general election.
"This s an extraordinary crowd and it proves people like (MCA president) Chua Soi Lek wrong. Soi Lek says only the Chinese attend the Black 505 rallies but what we saw tonight were the Malays in full force," Johari Abdul, the PKR MP for Sungei Petani, told a press conference after the rally ended close to midnight.
He was one of the speakers in a star-studded lineup that included Anwar, PAS deputy president Mat Sabu, PAS vice president Salahuddin Ayub, PKR vice presidents Tian Chua and N Surendran
With all the warnings from Prime Minister Najib Razak's Umno party of a "Chinese tsunami" threatening the birth rights of the Malays, who would have thought that Kota Sarang Semut, a typical small town in the Malay heartland, would jump with both feet into the Black 505 craze sweeping the country.
But come they did. By 6.30pm, the compound of the PAS headquarters was already a hive of activity. A traffic jam was already building up and you could find only parking a kilometre away. Many wore black in solidarity with the Black 505 movement begun by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim to protest electoral fraud in Malaysia's May 5 general election.
Historic stand by the Malaysian people
Refusing to concede defeat, Anwar had accused Najib's government of rampant vote-rigging and cheating to "steal" victory from his Pakatan Rakyat coalition. He called for a show of support from the people two days after the election and a crowd of some 150,000 turned up at the Kelana Jaya stadium in Selangor. The rest as they say is history.
Buoyed by overwhelming support from the people, particularly young Malaysians in their 20s and 30s urging him to fight on, Anwar and PR took their case to Batu Kawan, Ipoh, Kuantan, Johor and Seremban, where they spoke to 'sell-out' crowds who braved rainy weather and massive traffic jams to see their 'heroes' in action. The Pakatan is seeking a review and re-election in some 30 seats which they claim suffered the worst electoral fraud
Don't start a war with the people, PR warns Zahid & Mukhriz
Kedah PAS commissioner Mahfuz Omar, who had earlier predicted a crowd size of more than 50,000, had words of advice for Home Minister Zahid Hamidi and Kedah Chief Minister Mukhriz Mahathir. The two Umno leaders had warned against the rally, with Mukhriz refusing to allow the organisers to use the Sultan Abdul Halim Stadium in Alor Setar while Zahid said the rally was illegal and "action" would be taken.
"I would advise Zahid to accept that the majority of the people are with the Pakatan Rakyat and don't start a war with the people. Be rational," Mafuz, who is also a PAS vice-president and the MP for Pokok Sena.
"As for Mukhriz, I would ask him to open up a bit as he is still a young man. He should not behave like the Umno leaders of the past who adopted a confrontational approach with the people."
The crowd in Kota Sarang Semut showed a crowd that - compared to urban counterparts in Kelana Jaya, Ipoh and Johor - was slightly shy but no less eager to take part in Black 505 and vent their outrage at the Umno-BN's alleged electoral fraud. Umno leaders, including Shabery Chik, have however described the gatherings as "pesta kegilaan" or festivals of madness.
MORE TO COME
Malaysia Chronicle
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