KUALA LUMPUR, MARCH 17 — A crowd of 400 showed up outside Jinjang lockup for a candlelight vigil in support of PKR vice president Nurul Izzah Anwar who was detained overnight after being arrested for sedition.

Near the entrance to the Jinjang lockup facility beside a large white tree, the crowd began to gather at 9pm and remained past 11.30pm, some holding candles while others raising signs declaring support for Nurul Izzah.

Arrested today after reporting in at Dang Wangi police station, Nurul Izzah’s is the latest in a series of arrests involving activists and opposition lawmakers since Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy conviction in February.

Despite this, however, the prevailing mood at last night’s vigil was one of defiance.

There were the usual chants of “Reformasi!” (Reform!) and “Hidup rakyat!” (Long live the people!), long a staple of anti-government protests. 

A new chant added was “Bebas Nurul!” (Free Nurul!), the Lembah Pantai MP added to the list of people protesters want released, including her father.

A mixture of Pakatan politicians and activists clambered onto a pickup truck with Nurul Izzah’s photo plastered on it to address the crowd.

“Enough is enough,” shouted Dr Xavier Jayakumar, state assemblyman for Seri Andalas from atop the vehicle. 

“They already imprisoned Anwar. Now, they imprison his daughter too.”

“The people are not satisfied,” PAS central committee member Khalid Samad said, referring to what he called Malaysia’s “broken court and police system.”

“We need a new government, a new prime minister, new ministers, new police, and new courts!” he said.

Another speaker, Himpunan Hijau leader Wong Tack, was even more blunt.

“This is a government that fights the people,” he shouted. 

“We must fight back!”

The vigil drew opposition supporters as well as curious residents from the houses of the Chinese neighborhood nearby, some of them standing outside their gates or perching atop their walls to watch the spectacle. 

Several families, including young children, stood in the crowd, and a band played protest songs in between speeches.

A hundred meters away from the crowd, a group of policemen stood guard by the entrance to Jinjang lockup.

Though the people at the vigil came from different walks of life, they shared similar reasons for being there.

“I’m here because I care,” said Aw Swee Keng, a 37-year-old business development manager. 

“If the government detains Nurul, it means they don’t care about what we think and they think they can do whatever they want.”

“I’m here to give support to Nurul, Adam, and Mandeep,” said Denish Hairudin, a 24-year-old who works in banking. 

“The government is trying to make people afraid. As Malaysians we have to show (them) they can’t do this.”

“I am here because I am from Lembah Pantai,” said Adita Ketek, 46, who works in a hospital. She pointed to the detention facility. 

“And that’s my MP that’s in there.”

S. Jayathas, a 48-year-old human rights activist, expressed anger at Nurul Izzah’s arrest, calling it “a Gestapo-style violation of freedom of speech.”

“The government is trying to intimidate the public so we don’t speak openly,” he said. 

“But these days people are not scared of these stupid threats.”

Some of the people there arranged candles to spell Kita Lawan (We Fight). Others planted their candles into the trunk of the big white tree by the gathering, making it shine with many lights. 

One bystander call it “The Freedom Tree.”

In front of the Jinjang lockup facility, in front of the guards, metal fences, and curving razor wire, the white tree’s branches stretched into the night sky.