Today's rally against controversial preacher Dr Zakir Naik failed to materialise, with police taking precautions and cordoning off roads in Kuala Lumpur's Brickfields area.
Messages had been circulating on social media urging people to attend the rally, even though organiser Shankar Ganesh said yesterday that the protest had been cancelled after PKR president Anwar Ibrahim purportedly requested the rally to be called off.
No protesters were seen here amid the presence of at least 100 cops stationed in the area.
The rally had been expected to address issues such as Zakir's ongoing presence in Malaysia, the unilateral conversion of minors, the distribution of funds allocated to the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (Mitra), and the issue of statelessness and citizenship in the Indian community.
It was also meant to continue yesterday’s protest over the introduction of Jawi script lessons (khat) for vernacular school students.
Police had decided to cordon off the area today due to concerns about the impending gathering.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Mazlan Lazim thanked members of the public for choosing not to attend the rally today.
"Thanks to those who did not come today…we praise them. Thanks to those who adhere to the law.
"We want a peaceful city. We do not welcome anything that threatens the security and peace in the country," he told the media.
Mazlan also advised the public to move on as the recent "sensitive issues have been settled".
"I would like to advise that the Jawi and Zakir issues have been settled.
"And the police had also advised Zakir against delivering speeches nationwide.
"So there are no issues. If some parties continue to hold a rally, they would create an uneasy situation. Please refrain from doing so," he said.
While the roads were closed, businesses were operating as usual.
However, Mazlan said police would only open the Brickfields-bound roads once they were satisfied with the current situation.
Zakir had courted flak for questioning the loyalty of Hindu Malaysians during an Aug 8 speech in Kelantan.
It was also reported that the preacher had referred to Chinese Malaysians as "old guests" at the same event.
The India-born preacher, who is being investigated by the police, claimed that his remarks were taken out of context and has since apologised.
Earlier today, police released two men detained at yesterday's khat rally held in the same area after questioning them.
The organisers of yesterday's rally were different from the aborted one today. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.