Second #Lawan protest cancelled after Muhyiddin resigns

 

The organiser of the first #Lawan protest last month has called off a second protest after the resignation of Muhyiddin Yassin from his prime minister's post.

In a statement today, Sekretariat Solidariti Rakyat (SSR) hailed Muhyiddin’s resignation as a “victory for the people” and said they will not go on with the second protest which was planned for this Saturday.

“Muhyiddin’s step down is a victory for Malaysians who hold him accountable for over 13,000 lives lost as a result of his administration’s failure to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Based on the current situation and Muhyiddin’s resignation, we decided to not go ahead with another street demonstration on Aug 21,” SSR said.

However, the group said the fight is not over to uphold democracy in the country and reiterated checks and balances towards the government must continue.

SSR urged all political leaders to return to the principles of parliamentary democracy to discuss policies concerning the country’s situation.

“The new prime minister must have the focus, ideas, desire, and courage to ensure Malaysians are well taken care of after being oppressed by a government that kept politicking and ignoring the people’s desires,” it added.

The group also demanded the new prime minister goes through a vote of confidence in Parliament soon instead of using statutory declarations (SDs) which it said was not transparent and ignored people’s wishes.

SSR vowed to continue its fight and warned that it is not afraid to act if the new administration repeats its predecessor's mistakes.

“We will not hesitate to take more actions if the new government fails to carry out its responsibilities to ensure the country is freed from the pandemic and shallow political fiascos," it said.

Hundreds of people gathered near Dataran Merdeka on July 31 to protest the government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The protesters demanded the resignation of Muhyiddin, who eventually did so after 15 MPs of his own coalition pulled their support for him.

Meanwhile, SSR has also submitted a memorandum to the palace, expressing their view that the incoming prime minister and cabinet be appointed from a "new team".

This new team, they said, should consist of MPs who are capable, respect the country's system of Parliament, honest and have integrity.

They added that democratic spaces, especially Parliament should be open, and the people's right to express themselves and to demonstrate safely musty be upheld. - Mkini