KUALA LUMPUR, May 1 — Over 15,000 people gathered today at the site of the tumultuous Bersih rally for free and fair elections in 2012, this time to protest an impending tax.

But unlike the rally two years ago where 900 tear gas canisters were fired, the demonstration today against the Goods and Services Tax (GST) ended peacefully without single shot fired.

Nor were there water cannons or scuffles, bar a minor incident among the attendees.

Noticeably absent were the riot police from the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU), and only a handful of policemen stood guard at the various meeting points — the National Mosque, Dataran Maybank and the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC).

In an unusual sight, traffic police helped facilitate the rally by managing the flow of vehicles, and even holding up traffic to allow protesters to pass.

Police looked on idly, while some took photographs of the crowds with their smartphones, as people of all races, young and old, held up black “Bantah GST” (No GST) placards and chanted their opposition to the consumption tax that will be implemented next April, amid the incessant honk of vuvuzelas.

Under the blazing sun, middle-aged women in headscarves, young women in purdah and niqab, Chinese and Indians of all ages dressed in red with scarlet headbands, expressed their dissatisfaction with not just the GST, but also corruption and abuse of power.

“I’m not happy with a lot of things, like financial mismanagement, corruption, abuse of power, injustice, and money politics,” Khairy Mohd Yusof, a 24-year-old mechanic, told The Malay Mail Online at the rally.

As rally participants streamed in from the National Mosque, Dataran Maybank and KLCC to converge into a spectacular crowd beside Dataran Merdeka, they chanted “Reformasi” (Reforms), “Bersih, bersih” (Clean), and “Hidup rakyat” (Long live the people).

Thousands of Malaysian protesters turn up to protest against the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in front of Dataran Merdeka, on May 1, 2014. — Pictures by Choo Choy May

Protesters also criticised the recent Court of Appeal ruling that sentenced opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to five years’ jail for sodomy.

“I want to warn the prime minister not to be cruel to the people and Anwar. Do not touch Anwar. We will not allow Anwar to be in Umno-BN’s jail for even a second,” PKR deputy president Azmin Ali told the crowd, referring to the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.

In between, focus returned to the new tax that will be introduced next year.

Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) secretary-general S. Arutchelvan said the GST was regressive as the broad based consumption tax would hit the poor, even as corporate tax was being reduced.

“If we have free education, healthcare and an increase in wages, then yes, it is justified. But subsidies are being cut and wages are not increasing,” Arutchelvan told reporters.

Civil society leaders were also at the rally, with former Bersih chief Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan calling on protesters to oppose the GST and to fight for free and fair elections.

While sections of Jalan Tun Perak, Jalan Parlimen and Jalan Raja were closed to traffic to facilitate the rally, PAS’ numerous Unit Amal volunteers, dressed in maroon uniforms, helped manage traffic and also picked up trash after the protesters dispersed.

Dang Wangi police chief ACP Zainuddin Ahmad told The Malay Mail Online that an estimated 13,000 to 15,000 people had attended the protest.

He also said the police are not investigating the rally, despite saying last week that it was illegal for breaches of a public assembly law.

Zainuddin noted that there was minor commotion at the otherwise peaceful rally.

A scuffle broke out between youth protesters and PAS volunteers when the rally participants tried to breach the barricades around Dataran Merdeka, after getting fed up with the lengthy speeches from Pakatan Rakyat (PR) politicians.

The Malaysian Press Photographers Association (MPPA) also censured a group of youth protesters, who were dressed in black and wearing masks, for assaulting two photographers after the rally dispersed.

The rally called “GST — Protest till it is dropped” is organised by a coalition of 89 non-government organisations, including workers’ rights group, Jaringan Rakyat Tertindas (Jerit), and student activist group, Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM). 

Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim gives a speech during the anti-GST protest at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur, May 1, 2014.