‘Malaysian Spring’ activist denies demonstration plot

BN bunga manga planted in Damansara Heights.KUALA LUMPUR, May 4 — Ng Seksan, the landscape architect who initiated the “Malaysian Spring” campaign, has denied allegations the “flowers” or mini flags are focal points for demonstrations if Pakatan Rakyat (PR) loses the general election.

Yesterday, Bernama reported Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin calling for a police investigation into blog allegations which specifically accused PR Youth wings of direct involvement in the plot.

“They are spinning the story. There is no plot for demonstrations, I want to clarify this so there will be no panic or fear-mongering among the people,” Ng told The Malaysian Insider.

“They want to make it look so mischievous as if some uprising is brewing in the air,” he said.

He emphasised that the “Malaysian Spring” campaign is an initiative by ordinary citizens, who fund the making of the “flowers” themselves.  

“There is no organisation except that I’m the initiator, but what you’ve seen out there on the street is totally viral,” he said.

“A lot of the people who participate are women, I would say 80 per cent women. A lot of children are involved and a lot of elderly citizens are also involved.”

Some 16,000 multi-coloured mini flags were first planted inside the Jalan Tempinis roundabout in Lucky Garden, Bangsar here in the Lembah Pantai constituency on April 14.

Since then, the movement has spread to nearby suburbs in the city, such as Damansara Heights, Sri Hartamas and Taman Tun Dr Ismail in the neighbouring Segambut federal seat, and even to other states like Perak and even further afield to Barcelona and London.

Ng said that the few politicians who have contributed to the effort — such as incumbent Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar, PKR Kelana Jaya candidate Wong Chen, DAP Subang Jaya state candidate Hannah Yeoh and PKR Bukit Lanjan state candidate Elizabeth Wong — had only assisted in the planting and adopting of the initiative as part of their campaign materials.

“This is to ensure that the flowers have a better chance of surviving,” he said, referring to previous moves by the Election Commission (EC) and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to remove the flags.

Ng also pointed out photos of Barisan Nasional (BN) “flowers” that have been planted, one of which took the form of bunga manga in the upscale neighbourhood of Damansara Heights, and said that he welcomed such efforts. 

“This campaign is about our hope for a better Malaysia and it is inclusive of all political parties,” he said.