KUALA LUMPUR, May 4 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders accused Umno today of pressuring the police into probing last Thursday's anti-Goods and Services Tax (GST) rally despite an earlier decision not to do so.

Opposition members told The Malay Mail Online that the U-turn made by Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar does not do much to dispel allegations of political interference by the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN), and reiterated the need to set up an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).

“This probe is because of political pressure from certain parties, namely Umno, that there is now a probe when police previously said they would not investigate the matter,” PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu told The Malay Mail Online.

Khalid said yesterday that the police have begun investigating the rally for allegedly violating several conditions of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012. He said the investigation will look into several issues, including the failure of rally organisers to give ample notice before holding the assembly and the presence of smoke bombs, flares and sharp weapons such as knives, at the gathering.

“On the day of the rally, the police did their job well and were very professional, so it is surprising that there is suddenly a probe....but we (PR) have no problem, we will assist the authorities in whatever way we can,” Mohamad added.

PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar said that the IGP's “flip-flop” over the rally probe is proof of the need for the IPCMC to restore confidence of the neutrality of the police force.

“Is the IGP doing (Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad) Zahid Hamidi's bidding in the flip flop? I believe the IGP and the Home Minister should clarify how such a flip flop was derived,” the Lembah Pantai MP said, referring to the Home Minister.

Zahid has insisted that public assemblies are not a suitable platform for political expression, and recently claimed most Malaysians are “sickened” by such rallies for disrupting their routine.

He had said that the authorities agreed to the rally against the Goods and Services Tax (GST) only after the organisers agreed to certain conditions, which he suggested were not kept.

PKR strategic director Fahmi Fadzil said that some provisions within the Peaceful Assembly Act were “unconstitutional”, and that the police should withhold conducting  any probe using the Act until amendment proposals were tabled in Parliament.

“The police must continue to act impartially and professionally, and not bend to political pressure from the ruling party,” he said.

Thousands took to the streets of the capital on May 1 in conjunction with Workers Day to protest Putrajaya's bid to introduce the Goods and Services Tax (GST) next April, arguing that the broad-based tax is “regressive” and takes a larger percentage of income from those in the low-income groups than from high-income groups.

The event, themed “GST — Protest till it is dropped”, was attended by some 15,000 demonstrators according to official police estimates, and stayed mostly peaceful, unlike previous protests against government policies held here.

Under the sweltering afternoon heat and the watchful eyes of enforcement officials, protestors poured into the city garbed mostly in red, chanting and holding up placards that said “Bantah GST” (No GST).

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

The event was 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).

It was supported by federal opposition pact Pakatan Rakyat (PR), whose leaders had mounted a campaign against the new tax system in the run-up to Election 2013 last May, insisting that the implementation tax must coincide with an increase in disposable income.

Despite their opposition, however, the GST Bill was passed through the Dewan Rakyat on April 7.

Yesterday, a day after the May Day protest, independent pollster Merdeka Centre released its findings on a survey that showed 62 per cent of Malaysians are against the implementation of the consumption tax.

The research house also noted that comprehension of the GST is still low, with more than half of the respondents admitting that they do not know the workings of the tax, with less than a year before it will be implemented starting April 1 next year.

“A survey carried among voters in Peninsular Malaysia found that a majority (53 per cent) of them did not understand how the GST will work at present,” the pollster said in a statement here.

“At the same time, 62 per cent of respondents did not agree to the implementation of the GST, which indicates that despite not knowing the finer points of the consumption tax, many members of the public did not support its rollout.”

Of concern to authorities will be the poll’s findings that rejection was highest among lower income earners, particularly those who earn between RM1,000 and RM5,000 per month, where opposition was at 63 per cent.