We don’t know if red shirt rally was about Malay sentiments, says Zahid

Police are only interested in crowd size and venue when processing a rally permit, according to the home minister, who said the police were not sure if the September 16 rally by Malay groups was a manifestation of Malay anger. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, October 21, 2015.

The police cannot confirm if the September 16 "red shirt" rally was a manifestation of Malay anger, said Putrajaya, despite the gathering being filled with incendiary remarks against the Chinese community.

In a written reply, Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the police have no idea of the reasons behind the rally in Kuala Lumpur.

"The police do not know the real reasons behind the red shirt rally apart from what it has stated in the application permit to hold a public gathering.

"The main issue that is looked into are the appropriateness of the venue, which included location and expected number of attendees," he said, adding that places like Dataran Merdeka were usually off-limits due to government events and also to prevent traffic congestion.

"As such, your allegation that the aim of the gathering was to show the manifestation of the Malay sentiments cannot be confirmed," he told Lim Lip Eng (DAP-Segambut).

Lim had asked if the rally was a manifestation of the Malay majority's sentiments who felt they were "pushed to the wall".

He had also wanted to know the latest legal status of the rally participants.

Zahid said as of October 13, a total of 26 police reports were lodged and 15 investigation papers were opened, according to police records.

"However, I have no plans to reveal more on this since it is still under police investigation," he said.

The "red shirt" rally was held to counter electoral reforms coalition Bersih 2.0’s gathering in late August calling for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's resignation over alleged financial scandals.

But organisers of the rally on September 16 said Bersih had insulted the Malays.

The rally was also held to express anger over a footage of Bersih 4 participants stomping on pictures of Najib and PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.

- TMI