It was noisy along Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah in George Town today when passing vehicles honked away loudly in support of a protest against the recent hike in petrol prices by the federal government.
The 45-minute flash mob by several groups aligned to Pakatan Rakyat carried placards beneath the flyover leading to the Bayan Baru circle, condemning Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak for what they describe as ‘Promises Unfulfilled’.
Posters being waved in the midst of a drizzle featured slogans like ‘Apa lagi Rosmah mau? Tambang bas dah naik. Tariff electrik dah naik. Tak cukup lagi ke duit nak shopping?’ (What else does Rosmah want? Bus fees have increased. Electricity tariff has increased. Still not enough money for shopping?)
Rosmah Mansor is Najib’s spouse and had been often criticised for her alleged lavish spending and fondness for shopping sprees.
Many drivers not only honked but gave the thumbs-up sign for the protesters. A driver in a Myvi rolled down his screen and waved at the group, waving a 20 sen coin.
The 20 sen was a reminder that RON95 had gone up by 20 sen, while RON97 by 15 sen, when Najib announced it on Monday, attracting tonnes of brickbats from the public and his political opponents.
Other posters sarcastically quipped ‘Terima Kasih BN’ and ‘Wawasan 20 (sen) 20 (sen)’, referring to former premier Mahathir Mohamad’s vision to see Malaysia become a developed country by 2020.
Other placards read ‘Rakyat kena C4 20 sen, Janji di Capati’, ‘BN = Barang Naik, Kita lagi kena buli’ and ‘Subsidi Rakyat atau Subsidi Kroni?’
‘Spendthrift habits’
Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia representative Mohd Aidil Fitri Ibrahim said the mob mentioned Rosmah due to her “spendthrift habits”.
“Najib’s money is used for her shopping and we are paying taxes for his pay and allowances,” he told reporters under the rain.
“Najib lied, he said there would not be an increase in petrol prices but after the general election, he went against his promises,” Aidil Fitri added.
Jelutong PAS deputy chief Yusuf Mohd Noor condemned Najib for deciding to raise petrol price without consulting citizens.
“Malaysia is an oil producer, we should not have to suffer rises in petrol prices,” said the former Penang municipal councillor.
Bayan Baru PKR Youth vice-chief Nurul Ilfaq Zulkifli said the rakyat has had enough with BN for its actions that burden citizens and want to protest against further “oppression” by the ruling party.
“How long more do we want to be cheated, again and again? It is enough, BN and Najib lied, and that is not acceptable,” he said.
“We won’t stop here. We will discuss with our national headquarters and step up the pressure for more protests until Najib resigns if he does not reduce the petrol price,” he added.
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