KUALA LUMPUR - A sit-in protest demanding the resignation of Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar had a small turnout.
The protest was part of the KitaLawan rally by Pakatan Rakyat.
They claimed that the IGP had been misusing his power in arresting their fellow activists recently and hence, he must step down.
However, less than 50 people turned up by the roadside at a traffic junction near Dataran Merdeka, where the protest was held this evening.
A small group of enforcement officers from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall stood watch from across the road.
Dataran Merdeka was out of bounds, closed off with barricades placed around the field along with a sign saying “Dataran Merdeka is closed temporarily until further notification”.
It was a peaceful night as the enforcement officers dispersed by 9pm while the participants stayed on, holding banners, placards and PKR flags.
The participants, dressed mostly in black, were spurred on by occasional honks from the many vehicles that passed by.
Present was National Laureate A Samad Said, who praised the crowd for standing up against what they perceived as injustice by the government.
He described the rally as an example of how people could fight against injustice by the authorities without resorting to use of force.
“Some irresponsible quarters would be glad if we resort to use of force, but that’s not the way, ” he said.
KitaLawan secretariat Chang Lih Kang said they had not expected a big crowd as the event was aimed at creating public awareness on the need for IGP to resign or be sacked.
He said a number of elected representatives from Pakatan Rakyat would take turns to camp overnight at the spot in a tent for one week as part of the rally, including himself.
Chang is the PKR state assemblyman for Teja in Perak.
Others include Pandan Member of Parliament Rafizi Ramli, Simpang Pulai assemblyman Tan Kar Hing and Semambu assemblyman Lee Chean Chung.
The participants were still hanging around at 9.30pm and activist Hishammuddin Rais also made an appearance in his trademark hat.
Earlier today, the protests had kicked off with Pakatan’s weekly KitaLawan rally at the Sogo shopping complex at 4pm.
The video of KitaLawan rally at the Sogo shopping complex today is posted below:
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