‘Cowardly’ to shut down streets to stop ‘flashmob’, Amanah man tells govt

 

The empty streets in Kuala Terengganu after police closed four roads to stop the flashmob from taking place in the middle of town yesterday.

PETALING JAYA: A “flashmob” organised by Terengganu Amanah to protest the rising cost of goods at the Ladang Tok Pelam intersection in Kuala Terengganu was shut down by the authorities yesterday.

Terengganu Amanah chief Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah said the government had acted “cowardly” in stopping the group of 15 protesters, of which eight were women, from assembling and voicing their concerns over the issue of rising prices.

“Due to its own weaknesses and indifference to its people, the government is now afraid of its own shadow and the people’s wrath,” he said in a statement.

The former deputy minister for housing and local government said the police had initially allowed the group 15 minutes for a “flashmob”, but the four roads leading towards the Ladang Tok Pelam intersection were closed to the public even before the rally began.

Raja Kamarul also slammed deputy agriculture and food industries minister Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh for trivialising the issue of the rising cost of goods in the country on Friday.

According to Nik Zawawi, the situation in Malaysia was much better when compared to other countries.

“The government is so far removed from the true realities of the struggles faced by the people,” said Raja Kamarul in response to Nik Zawawi.

On Friday, about 100 people took part in a protest organised by Amanah at Kampung Baru in Kuala Lumpur over the rising cost of goods.

Some 15 police personnel were there to ensure the rally remained orderly as the participants called for the government to resolve the issue.

Yesterday, two out of the 10 organisers of the Kampung Baru rally were summoned to the Dang Wangi district police headquarters for questioning, with the remaining eight to provide their statements tomorrow at 10am. - FMT