KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 15 — Tomorrow’s “Himpunan Rakyat Bersatu” rally should be declared illegal like last month’s Bersih 4 gathering if it is not aimed at promoting unity, Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman has said.
Anifah pointed out that September 16 marks Malaysia Day, which he said should be a time for Malaysians to show their love for the country and not to “instigate hatred or (promote) racial supremacy”.
“Bersih 4 was made illegal and I believe should Himpunan Rakyat Bersatu have an objective that is not about unity and celebrating Malaysia Day, then it, too, should be made illegal,” the senior Umno leader was quoted saying yesterday by English-language daily New Straits Times (NST) as he called for no tolerance on tomorrow’s rally if it was meant as retaliation for the Bersih 4 rally.
Anifah said the rally tomorrow should not go on if it will tarnish the Malaysia Day celebration, which he said all Malaysians should have the right to celebrate peacefully.
He also said that “tit for tat” responses will affect both the country’s peace and economy, adding that the nation should be above such “narrow-minded” thoughts.
Weighing in on the red shirts that some of the rally participants are expected to wear tomorrow, Anifah said that it would be wrong to wear such shirts if they are intended to provoke others.
“There is also no harm in wearing a red shirt on Malaysia Day if it is to celebrate Malaysia Day and represent unity amongst all races.
“However, should it be worn just for provocation, then that, I believe, is wrong, the same way as wearing the yellow shirt to create provocation was wrong,” he said.
When asked if the Home Ministry will ban the red shirts as it did to the yellow shirts worn during the Bersih 4 rally, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed yesterday answered in the negative and said this was not an issue up to this point, local paper Sin Chew Daily said in its report today.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said after a meeting with component parties of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition he chairs that every member party agreed to disagree on tomorrow’s rally.
He said, however, that the components agreed that the event must not break any law.
MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said his party was against the rally for its poor timing, racial undertones and the possibility of affecting economic growth.
“Most importantly, it is not a BN rally, not by Umno,” he told reporters after last night’s BN supreme council meeting.
There have been conflicting statements issued on tomorrow’s rally, with earlier reports citing Coalition of Malay NGOs chief Datuk Jamal Md Yunos claiming that the Himpunan Maruah Melayu (Malay Dignity Rally) is to uphold the rights and dignity of the Malays in the face of alleged attacks by the non-Malays on Malay leaders.
In his latest statement on Sunday, Jamal, who is also Umno Sungai Besar division chief, insisted that the “red shirts” rally — so-called for their choice of t-shirt colour — aims to put an end to future rallies especially if they echo demonstrations held by the Bersih movement.
Jamal himself, however, has never identified himself as an organiser of the rally, only saying that he was assisting the organisers and speaking on their behalf.
Rally organisers Pesaka, however, appeared to have dissociated the event from Jamal and his “red shirts”, with Pesaka president and former Malacca Chief Minister Tan Sri Mohd Ali Mohd Rustam stressing that their rally is known as Himpunan Rakyat Bersatu or United People’s Rally, and that it is open to all Malaysians.
