KUALA LUMPUR, March 10 ― The newly-named “Save Malaysia” movement behind the nationwide campaign against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will rely on crowdfunding for its activities, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said today.

The former law minister who is one of the movement’s protagonists said “Save Malaysia” will not rely on donations from tycoons as it believes that seeking help from businessmen in exchange for favours is the root cause of systemic corruption.

“The seed of corruption is planted when politicians receive money from businessmen. This vicious cycle must stop,” he wrote in his latest blog posting.

“The question is are the people of this country willing to own up and reclaim this country from the oligarchs? We must give the people the chance to contribute in the struggle for a better Malaysia,” he added.

Zaid then urged Malaysians to contribute any sum to the movement’s “Save Malaysia” cause to prove they care for the country’s future, adding that even RM10 would suffice for a start.

The former Umno man did not provide details on how to make the donation, however, saying this will be revealed later.

He added that the “Save Malaysia” movement, which hopes to garner hundreds of thousands of signatures for its campaign in the coming weeks, could help restore democracy and good governance in Malaysia, and ensure that the country’s laws are fairly implemented by agencies that serve all citizens instead of just those in support of the government.

Apart from that, Zaid said the initiative could also stop looming retrenchments and offer better jobs with better salaries to Malaysians as well as stop the influx of cheap foreign labour.

He urged all parties to stop bickering over who should succeed Najib in the prime minister’s seat and focus instead on getting signatures for the “Citizens’ Declaration” unveiled by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad last week.

The declaration will then be presented to the King, Zaid added.

The “Save Malaysia” movement was named last night in a meeting among politicians and activists supportive of the declaration.

According to PKR vice-president Chua Tian Chang, the meeting also decided to start a signature drive this month in Johor, Kedah, Sabah and Terengganu, states that have seen dissent within Umno against the current administration.

Prominent signatories of the Citizens’ Declaration include former deputy prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who comes from Johor and former Kedah mentri besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir.

Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, who comes from Sabah, has also expressed support for the Citizens’ Declaration although he has yet to sign it.