Dr Mahathir Mohamad is expected to make an appearance at the ‘TangkapMO1' rally at Dataran Merdeka tomorrow, according to former Umno man Khairuddin Abu Hassan.
"InsyaAllah (God willing), Tun Mahathir will attend the TangkapMO1 rally for a brief period in the afternoon.
"This decision was made to fulfil the request by the Persatuan Mahasiswa Melayu Malaysia, which insisted on Mahathir's presence at the event tomorrow," he told Malaysiakini.
There had been much speculation as to whether Mahathir, who is Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's fiercest critic, would show up tomorrow.
Last August, the 91-year-old former premier, who was recently admitted for a chest infection, made a surprise appearance at the Bersih 4 gathering, which demanded Najib’s resignation.
Khairuddin added that he personally hoped all the people of Malaysia would attend en masse to give moral support to the rally tomorrow.
On the other hand, there has been no directive from the PAS leadership to its members to attend the 'TangkapMO1' rally.
PAS assistant secretary-general (1) Khairul Faizi Ahmad Kamil said he could not say whether the Islamic party has allowed its members to attend the rally.
"So far, there have been no instructions. I cannot respond to that question.
"We will just await further instructions from the secretary-general," he said at a press conference at the PAS headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today.
Meanwhile, Amanah Youth said in a statement today that it would mobilise its members to attend the gathering tomorrow.
The other youth wings of Pakatan Harapan will also be doing the same, said Amanah Youth national deputy chief Shazni Munir Mohd Ithnin.
He said that they hoped the police, as an institution responsible for the peace and safety of the rakyat, would maintain the peace throughout the rally by preventing any provocation from any parties.
"At the same time, Amanah Youth hopes that the true reason behind this rally – to catch, investigate and deliver justice to Malaysian Official 1 – would be achieved by the rakyat," he said.
The organisers of the 'TangkapMO1' rally had released a FAQ (frequently asked questions today), with guidelines for the rally.
They advised people to gather at the meeting points, Sogo or Masjid Negara, at 2pm tomorrow.
At Masjid Negara, they will gather with political leaders while at Sogo, they will be gathering with NGO leaders.
"Don't ask where Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) will gather, that one we also don't know, maybe at Putrajaya," the organisers joked.
Once a healthy number of people have gathered, they will then march to Dataran Merdeka, while listening to speeches and watching performances from the youths.
Follow instructions
The organisers say the most important thing is to wait and follow the instructions of the rally commanders, who are students who will introduce themselves.
The clothing theme of the rally is black and white and people are advised to wear comfortable shoes.
Once at Dataran Merdeka, they will sing and shout their demands. There will also be a gimmick performance by the organisers' spokesperson Anis Syafiqah Mohd Yusof.
"There won't be any long-winded speeches," they said.
Responding to questions whether the rally will be safe, the organisers said: "We have 200 safety volunteers on standby. The one who is not safe right now is MO1.”
They added that if participants are arrested, they should not panic but contact them (organisers) and a lawyer will be provided.
They advised the people not to get too friendly with police officers if they are arrested, saying that they only need to provide their name, IC number and address. They also advised the people to use their right to remain silent.
Everyone should bring some water for drinking and also some salt if they want.
"There are no laws stopping the people from keeping salt in their bags," they said.
Salt is said to be able to relieve irritation and pain from tear gas chemicals.
If anyone falls sick, they can contact the safety officers as there is a medical squad on standby.
"To fight MO1, we have to prepare everything," the organisers said.
Previously, the organisers had confirmed that the gathering would go on as planned despite inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar saying that police will not allow the rally to be held in Dataran Merdeka as the organisers did not get permission from Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).
The US Department of Justice had claimed that US$731 million made its way into the accounts of MO1, an unnamed civil servant who is related to Najib's stepson Riza Aziz.
Riza and a businessman Jho Low, who is said to be close to the prime minister’s family, were named in the court filings.
Critics claimed that MO1 is none other than Najib himself.
However, Najib has denied allegations of misusing public funds, saying such accusations were part of a plot to topple him.
Attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali also cleared the prime minister of any wrongdoing. -Mkini
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