10,000 at KLCC demand end to GST

Protesters gather in front the Kuala Lumpur City Centre during a May Day protest against the goods and services tax (GST). – The Malaysian Insider pic by Afif Abd Halim, May 1, 2015.

Civil society groups behind the Workers Day rally in the capital today to oppose the goods and services tax (GST) had hoped for a non-partisan event with no political speeches.

Still, the rally which drew 10,000 to the heart of Kuala Lumpur saw several being made by personalities from the opposition pact, Pakatan Rakyat.

The Workers Day rally, which began at several points across city, was backed by Bersih 2.0, Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM), other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as well as the opposition.

A post on the rally’s Facebook page by the organisers "Bantah GST/Reject GST" said there would be no speeches by politicians.

"The event begins at 2.30pm with brief speeches by society and NGO representatives. No political party speeches," it said.

Despite the lukewarm turnout of about 200 people at the "grand finale" ceramah last night as a run-up to the march today, thousands came to the six meeting points and marched together for about 3km to converge at the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC).

Police had only given approval for the rally to be held at Padang Merbok, but organisers went ahead to launch it in groups from the Sogo shopping complex, National Mosque, outside Masjid Jamek, Dataran Maybank, Central Market and transport terminus Puduraya.

The GST at 6% was implemented on April 1 despite objections from the opposition and civil society, who said that the tax added to the people's burden.

Since it took effect, there has been confusion in some sectors, such as the telecommunications industry over charges for prepaid reload cards.

Here are updates on the rally by The Malaysian Insider team:

5.18pm: The rally has ended. Protesters have dispersed after the prayer by PAS veteran Ahmad Awang, who recently came back into the limelight as a candidate for the PAS presidency.

Some protesters are still hanging around KLCC to listen to political music group The BangsArt perform.

Police have opened the Jalan Ampang intersection near KLCC and traffic is starting to move again.

5.06pm: PAS Youth chief Suhaizan Kaiat says the huge turnout should signal to Najib the need to cancel the GST today itself.

He says the government should withdraw the tax by 7pm today.

An estimated 10,000 are gathered at the Kuala Lumpur City Centre to protest against the goods and services tax (GST). – The Malaysian Insider pic by Kamal Ariffin, May 1, 2015.He then reads out a declaration against the GST, and PAS veteran Ahmad Awang disperses the crowd with a Muslim prayer.

In his prayer, Ahmad asks for the GST to be "destroyed".

4.53pm: The roads surrounding KLCC are filled with people as an estimated 10,000 throng the area for today's protest. Traffic is at a standstill on Jalan Ampang as protesters park themselves in the middle of the road and junction, not allowing any vehicles to pass.

PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli begins a speech from the PAS truck outside the Lembaga Getah building, telling the crowd that two years from now, the Barisan Nasional government will be toppled because of the GST.

The next general elections are due no later than May 2018.

DAP national organising secretary Anthony Loke says that the turnout at today's rally sends a strong message to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the government that the people do not accept the consumption tax.

4.37pm: National laureate and Bersih 2.0 activist Datuk A. Samad Said gives a speech from the PAS truck in front of the Lembaga Getah building. He says today's protest is done for the sake of "our grandchildren".

Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah is with another section of the crowd walking towards KLCC. She tells protesters not to fall for any provocation.

The protesters from Sogo have now reached the city centre.

4.27pm: Speeches outside the Lembaga Getah building on Jalan Ampang are halted for a while as it is time for the Muslim "asar" (mid-afternoon) prayer. A young boy is asked to sound the call to prayer (azan) using the speaker on the truck carrying the PAS leaders.

4.25pm: Activist Isaiah Jacob with the KL Tak Nak Incinerator group gives a speech outside the Lembaga Getah building opposite KLCC on Jalan Ampang.

Anti-GST protesters moving towards the Kuala Lumpur City Centre today. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Afif Abd Halim, May 1, 2015.He says he represents the disabled community, as he himself walks with the aid of crutches.

Jacob says he has been counting the amount he has paid in GST since its implementation on April 1, and has paid RM127 so far. He calls on Putrajaya to withdraw the consumption tax by May 8, failing which he will launch a hunger strike to "topple the government democratically".

A group of blind protesters wearing red t-shirts are also here for the protest.

On Jalan Ampang, motorists are honking at protesters who are weaving through vehicles and causing a traffic jam.

4.13pm: More acts of vandalism are done by the group of youths dressed in black who have been throwing firecrackers and spray-painting graffiti. One is now seen spraying words on the road. Earlier, some of them got into a scuffle with other rally participants.

The crowd on Jalan P. Ramlee has now reached KLCC.

Seen in the crowd is a banner that says, "740 billion debt, who's going to pay? Are we? Or Najib?",  in reference to Malaysia's external debt in the third quarter of last year.

4pm: Kapar MP S. Manickavasagam directs the crowd of about 1,000 people at Dataran Merdeka to go to KLCC now.

The crowds at Sogo also start moving towards KLCC along Jalan Dang Wangi.

The truck carrying PAS leaders is already across the road from KLCC, near the Lembaga Getah building and is directing protesters to fill the area in front of the Petronas Twin Towers.

A crowd of about 500 people on Jalan Raja Chulan is heading towards Jalan P. Ramlee, also aiming for the city centre.

3.43pm: Part of the rally is heading to KLCC while another 1,000 people are still near Dataran Merdeka.

A group of youths dressed in black who were spray painting graffiti and throwing firecrackers earlier are now burning flares upon nearing Dataran Merdeka.

Other protesters, led by opposition politicians Mohamed Sabu, Hanipa Maidin, Fariz Musa and also activist Datuk A. Samad Said, are marching outside the Renaissance Hotel nearing KLCC.

3.30pm: The crowd coming from the National Mosque also finds a police roadblock at Dataran Merdeka. The crowd receives new instructions to start walking to KLCC instead.

A group of youths marching from Puduraya along Jalan Tun Perak use cans of spray paint to write graffiti on walls, using foul language against "capitalists". They also burn rubbish and throw small firecrackers on the road, while some of them attempt to block motorists.

At the OCBC bank in Jalan Tun Perak, a security guard waves a pistol at them when they come close.

At Central Market, lawyer and civil society activist Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan tells the crowd, "it is not just the GST that we oppose, but we also oppose corruption, and cruel and oppressive laws like the Sedition Act".

A protestor, Kent Lim, 49, from Seremban, says he agrees that GST is good for the country in the long run but now is not the right time to implement it.

At Sogo, an elderly man, Tan, who says he is almost 60, is with four friends from Pahang. 

"I come because of the GST. I'm not afraid of getting caught".

2.40pm:A protester with the headband ‘Bantah GST’ (oppose GST) seen near Masjid Jamek. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Seth Akmal, May 1, 2015. Police have blocked one end of Jalan Raja, next to Dataran Merdeka coming from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall headquarters. On the other side of Dataran Merdeka coming from the national mosque, protesters are marching steadily, causing a traffic jam of about 1km.

At Sogo, a man named Chong from Puchong, Selangor, says he told his son that GST meant "no more holidays for the family as we are paying tax for everything. My son says this is definitely not good".

Chong says he understands that the GST is inevitable, but asks the government to stop import duties and other taxes.

Nashita Md Noor, whose husband is one of the "Perak 13" in prison now for demonstrating against the Barisan Nasional's takeover of the Pakatan Rakyat Perak government in 2009, is also among the protesters at Puduraya.

"We look at the receipts now to see how much tax has been added. The government is in a lot of debt and has no money, so the easiest way for them is to task the people," she says.

Groups of student protesters have gathered at Puduraya and are marching towards Central Market.

2.38pm: Many of those protesting at the national mosque are youth.

Azhar Mohamad, 26, from Perak says he is here as Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan has been "lying" to the people and making statements that hurt people.

"GST makes the cost of living rise," he says.

Another youth, Asraf Yunus, 26, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak should resign over his management of the country as "poor people also get charged GST".

"He has yet to answer Dr Mahathir's questions," he adds.

At Masjid Jamek, veteran PAS leader Datuk Ahmad Awang is seen among the crowd marching with another PAS leader, Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.

At the Sogo shopping complex, PKR vice president Chua Tian Chang or Tian Chua tells the crowd: "Don't treat the police as the enemy. They are also the rakyat and our friends. We will march peacefully".

Seen on a protester, a large signboard says: "Government Suruh Tambah 6%" and “Government Suruh Tangkap” – both phrases a play on the abbreviation for the goods and services tax.

2.32pm:  The crowd at Dataran Medeka has swelled to about 1,000 people now. DAP national organising secretary Anthony Loke tells the crowd here to march in rows and to stay behind two lead cars at the head of the procession. The crowd here begins to march towards Masjid Jamek.

At Central Market, Ismail Leh, 45, said he arrived in Kuala Lumpur at 6am with other friends from Temerloh and Pekan, Pahang.

Protesters display placards that read 'Undur Najib Undur!!' (quit Najib, quit) while making their way to the Kuala Lumpur City Centre. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Kamal Ariffin, May 1, 2015.The Orang Asli man says the GST has made life harder for rural folk.

"Our land rights as Orang Asli have been denied by the government and our subsistence economy is too small. GST has made our situation worse, perhaps even worse than for city people," he tells The Malaysian Insider.

Various banners and placards carried in the crowd read: "Respect workers' rights" and "Free the people from GST".

2.20pm: Linda Soosay from Penang is at Central Market to join the protest with three friends.

"We hope by rallying we can make the government to be aware that the GST is burdening the people," she says.

At the National Mosque, Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad from PAS makes a speech as the crowd starts chanting, calling Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is also the finance minister, as well as Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan "liars" as the prices of goods have gone up while Putrajaya says that some prices would be cheaper.

Other Pakatan Rakyat leaders leading the crowd at the national mosque are Dr Hatta Ramli and Hanipa Maidin from PAS, and PKR vice-president Chua Tian Chang, also known as Tian Chua.

2.14pm: The crowd at Dataran Merdeka appears to number around 200 people, many wearing red t-shirts. Organisers of today's rally have declared red as the protest colour.

2.10pm: About 300 people are gathered in front of the National Mosque, many of them just having completed their Friday prayers.

Outside Masjid Jamek, several hundred are also on standby to begin marching, dressed in red and black t-shirts and wearing bandanas with the words "Bantah GST" (oppose GST) and "Tolak GST" (reject GST).

Another 100 people are waiting for the march to begin at the carpark outside Central Market.

- TMI