They can even protest in front of my cat, says Rafizi on anti-PM rally

 

SG BAKAP BY-ELECTION | Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli today said organisers of the “Rakyat Lawan Anwar” rally in Putrajaya are free to exercise their right to protest.

Rafizi said it wouldn’t be a problem even if they wanted to protest in front of his cat.

“As a member of the Madani government administration, I feel that it’s everyone’s right (to protest).

“If they want to protest in front of my cat, they can protest, I don’t think there’s a problem,” he said during a press conference in Sungai Bakap, Penang.

Rafizi, who is no stranger to anti-government protests during the tenure of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, stressed that everyone has a right to oppose any government of the day but must abide by the country’s laws and regulations.

Rafizi was responding to a question over the rally organised by Perikatan Nasional-linked group Pergerakan Demi Negara near Seri Perdana, the official residence of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, with main demands surrounding a need to tackle the rising costs of living.

Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli

Demi Negara chairperson Aidil Yunus, known as “YB Viral”, said the movement’s eight demands include lowering diesel prices, addressing the cost of living, improving the working conditions of government healthcare workers, and providing equal allocations for all elected representatives.

Commenting on the high cost of living, Rafizi said that the issue is not exclusively happening in Malaysia but has taken centre stage in every ongoing election across the globe.

“Indeed, it’s a global issue. In elections everywhere, we now have several major elections around the world.

“We have elections in the United States, we have elections in the UK, we have elections in France,” he said

In all three elections, he said the rising cost of living became the primary deciding issue, as the world is still looking to balance post-pandemic economic effects.

“So, while it’s not something that can be quickly conveyed for understanding, I believe there are several things that will ultimately allow people to appreciate that the matters and actions taken by the current federal government will put the country and society on the right track for us to address the challenges of the cost of living,” he said. - Mkini

'Rakyat Lawan Anwar' rally gives PM 6 months to buck up

The organisers of the “Rakyat Tolak Anwar” rally in Putrajaya earlier today said they are giving Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim six months to buck up and respond to their demands.

Demi Negara movement spokesperson Aidil Yunus said the demonstration held in front of the prime minister’s official residence in Putrajaya today is their “first warning letter” on Anwar’s alleged non-performance.

According to the social media influencer, the first round of their protest is not aimed at bringing down the prime minister but that can change if Anwar does not change.

“Many of our comrades said they want Anwar to step down. However, the objective of this rally today was not to demand his resignation but instead, we want him to buck up.

“Like in any other performance management, when someone commits mistakes for the first time, we just issue a warning letter.

“So, we are being very fair to him. But, we will only give him six months until his second anniversary as prime minister.

“If there is no change, I am willing to go even further to bring him down for real,” said Aidil, who is widely known on social media as “YB Viral”.

Aidil Yunus

He said the movement has proven its capability through today’s protest, where they managed to gather a crowd in front of Anwar’s official residence to voice their dissatisfaction towards the government.

Among their demands are to reduce the price of diesel, allow targeted Employees Provident Fund (EPF) withdrawals, ensure that the healthcare system is taken care of, tackle the rising cost of living and give equal allocations to all MPs.

Tambun next

Adding further, he said the group would give Putrajaya 30 days to respond to their demands.

Should there be no response, Demi Negara will plan more protests in the future until the government listens, with Anwar’s parliamentary constituency of Tambun to be their next venue.

“Because Tambun as we know is the most important parliamentary constituency now,” Aidil said in jest.

Meanwhile, the protest began at about 5pm at a public parking lot just outside the Seri Perdana Complex.

Aidil claimed that the rally had gathered between over 300 and 500 attendees, while police estimated the crowd to be around 150.

Clad in black attires, the participants could be heard shouting various chants including “Reformasi”, “Turun Anwar”, and “Hidup Rakyat”.

They were led by a line-up of speakers, including social media influencers and political activists such as former PKR leader Chegubard, lawyer Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali, Tun Faisal, and singer Dayangku Intan.

The protest went on for close to two hours under the watchful eye of police and other law enforcement officials, before the crowd dispersed without any untoward incident. - Mkini