Anti-Khusrin rally a timid affair

Despite the poor turnout, the organisers vow to continue staging rallies to allow the rakyat to express their dissatisfaction

PETALING JAYA: A rally to protest the appointment of Mohamed Khusrin Munawi as the new Selangor secretary turned out to be a timid affair.

Falling way below the organiser’s expectation of 10,000, less than 300 people showed up at the Kelana Jaya stadium here for the event, dubbed Hormati Suara Rakyat Selangor.

Dampened by the heavy downpour, the organising committee later apologised to those present for not hiring a bomoh to ward off the rain.

The rally was organised by a group of NGOs and concerned people of Selangor, led by the Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM).

Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad, Subang MP R Sivarasa, Selangor senior exco Teresa Kok, Coalition for Free and Fair Election (Bersih 2.0) chair Ambiga Sreenevasan were also present.

Met after the rally, MCLM’s Haris Ibrahim said that the dismal turnout would not deter them from staging more rallies.

“We will continue to create platforms for the rakyat to air their unhappiness,” he said.

Echoing a similar stand, Ambiga said: “People cannot just register their views once in five years. They have to give their views whenever there is something affecting them.”

‘Five acts of betrayal’

Speaking at the event, Khalid listed the “five acts of betrayal” committed by Barisan Nasional since the 2008 general election.

First, he said, was the burning of files shortly after Pakatan took control of the Selangor government.

“The act of burning files that show the records and activities of the former state government is embarrassing as it was allowed by the former state secretary,” he added.

The second, the PAS MP said, was the revival of the unity government talks between Umno and PAS. He also reaffirmed his party’s stand to remain committed to Pakatan.

The third act of betrayal, according to Khalid, was creating the illusion that the Malays were sidelined under Pakatan.The fourth betrayal, he said, was the cow head protest in Shah Alam and the fifth was the Allah controversy.

Boycott dare for BN reps

Meanwhile, former Perak menteri besar Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin told the audience of the similarities between the “actors in the Perak coup and now in Selangor”.

“The lead actor is (Prime Minister) Najib (Tun) Razak. The second was the royalty, followed by the Islamic Religious Affairs department director, the chief secretary to the government and the state secretaries,” he said.

Earlier, Faekah Husin, Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim’s political secretary, challenged BN reps to boycott tomorrow’s state assembly that would return the state constitution as in pre-1993.

If the reps do not support the amendment, she said: “They will be traitors to the king and people of Selangor.”

Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA) law professor Abdul Aziz Bari pointed out that the amendment would “allow the sultan to play a check and balance role and ensure civil servants remained neutral.” - FMT