SEPTEMBER 17 — The "Dakwa Zahid” rally lacked the necessary fervour due to the confusion in demands and the weak understanding of the Save Malaysia movement in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. The assembly witnessed the inadequacy of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) if they did not incorporate religious and ethnic sentiments in mobilising their fanatic followers.

The three primary demands were the re-prosecution of Zahid, freeing the Attorney General and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) from executive powers, and justice under the law for the people of Malaysia.

The demand to free the Attorney General from executive power is implausible. Instead, the demand should separate the roles of the Attorney General and the public prosecutor, each held by different individuals. This separation would allow political matters to be referred to the Attorney General (under the Ministry of Law) while prosecution aspects would be under the public prosecutor, in line with the Pakatan Harapan (PH) manifesto in the previous general elections.

The confusion among participants became evident when banners related to currency values, such as "1 USD: RM4.68”, were raised alongside speeches by PN leaders about the cost of living and international investors fleeing Malaysia. Several PAS leaders also quoted Quranic verses excessively, even though the context of these verses had no correlation with the demand to re-prosecute Zahid. Chanting "takbir” after almost every speech seemed to be an attempt to exploit religious sentiments rather than addressing the core issue.

Furthermore, the call for a "referendum”, as attempted by Wan Ahmad Fahysal after the recent state elections in six states, was not emphasised. Instead, "Reformasi” was chanted without leaving much impact on the over 1,000 participants. This irony lies in the fact that almost every chant at this assembly resembled the slogans of the PH prior to Najib’s government downfall in 2018. No fresh ideas from PN could be adopted as their new identity. Such a copycat!

The "Dakwa Zahid” rally fell short of expectations, with demands muddled and Save Malaysia movement revealing a weak grasp of the situation in Kuala Lumpur. What resonated clearly, however, was the urgent call for the separation of the Attorney General and prosecutor roles from executive powers.

The assembly, attended by over a thousand participants, highlighted the need to decouple the Attorney General and public prosecutor roles, assigning distinct individuals to each. This separation would allow political matters to be referred to the Attorney General (under the Ministry of Law), while prosecutorial matters would fall under the purview of the public prosecutor. Such a move aligns with the Pakatan Harapan (PH) manifesto from previous general elections and is seen as a critical step toward enhancing transparency and accountability within the Malaysian legal system.

While the rally may have faltered in terms of clarity and impact, the resounding demand for this institutional separation signifies a growing sentiment for reform within Malaysia’s legal framework. Nevertheless, people need to know, that even the Prime Minister claimed that there was a flaw in Zahid Hamidi’s prosecution and the attorney knew exactly what he had been doing before he came to the verdict.

*This is the personal opinion of the writers or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.