.jpg "Anti-GST protesters walk towards Dataran Merdeka at the anti-GST rally in Kuala Lumpur April 2, 2016. u00e2u20acu2022 Picture by Choo Choy May")
KUALA LUMPUR, April 3 — Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said yesterday’s rally against the Goods and Services Tax (GST) did not see record crowds take to the city’s streets because PAS did not mobilise its members for participation.
According to The Star Online, the PAS deputy president said the protest lacked a mobilisation strategy like previous demonstrations that involved the Islamist party.
“Looking at the turnout, it can be considered a failure. But it can be considered successful based on the issue they are championing.
“When people did not join the demonstration, it does not mean that they did not support it,” he was quoted as saying in the news portal’s report after launching the Putrajaya PAS division annual general meeting.
The English news portal also quoted Tuan Ibrahim as saying in his speech earlier that it was a smart move by PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang to stay out of the Bersih 4 rally last year.
He noted that when the rally was held, notably missing from the crowd was the Malay community.
“When the day (Bersih) came, less than 10 per cent of Malay supporters joined the protest.
“Without PAS, the protest was a failure. We never realised that this was our strength all along,” he said.
Yesterday’s rally to mark the one-year anniversary of the GST rollout drew over a thousand people to the streets of the capital.
The event went by smoothly despite earlier warnings by the police against using Dataran Merdeka, and ended by 5.30pm after several speeches by opposition figures and a surprise appearance by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
A rally on the same issue held in May last year before the fallout between PAS and its former Pakatan Rakyat partners reportedly attracted a larger turnout.
