‘Pasar Malam Movement should be led by rakyat’

Former lawmaker says what we see now is a voice led by former leaders and several individuals with specific agendas, and not the ‘suara rakyat’.

PETALING JAYA: A true Citizens’ Declaration should not be led by former leaders, but by the rakyat.

Lawyer and former lawmaker Yusmadi Yusoff, in pointing out that while the Citizens’ Declaration was a positive movement, maintained that the mindset of young Malaysians needed to change in order to make a difference.

“Can Najib really be removed via this approach? The attraction back then was that there were a bunch of young talents who were hungry for justice.

“What we see now is a voice led by former leaders and several individuals with specific agendas, and not the ‘suara rakyat’ (voice of the people),” Yusmadi told FMT.

While he pointed out that the said agendas were equally important, Yusmadi stressed that it could come off as a “selective expression of voices”.

“When ‘Reformasi’ started, we were handicapped. We had no big names leading us, all we wanted to do was fight. The brotherhood was formed through the struggle.

“The mindset of Malaysians seems to have changed. Everyone seems to be waiting for somebody to do something, which is not right,” he said.

While 1 million signatures in the Citizens ‘Declaration was a very good thing, Yusmadi believed it was more important for the petition to create awareness and momentum.

“The ‘Pasar Malam Movement’ was a great move, but Malaysians’ mindset needs to change,” Yusmadi said, referring to a group of prominent figures who conducted a walkabout at the Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman night market last Saturday to collect signatures for the ousting of Prime Minister Najib Razak.

“This group was the exact same group as Bersih 4.0. Where can-lah?” he said.

The group, led by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, approached members of the public to obtain signatures for the Citizens’ Declaration, which calls for Najib to step down so that institutional reforms can take place.

PKR Deputy President Mohamed Azmin Ali, PKR MP Tian Chua; former Bar President Ambiga Sreenevasan, Bersih Chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah and thrice-crowned Asia’s top debater Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman were among those who took part.