‘Protest’ at Singapore High Commission a dud
A pro-Umno blogger is believed to be behind the failed protest against the Lion State.—Reuters picKUALA LUMPUR, June 22 — Not a single protester turned up today outside the Singapore High Commission here for a rally purportedly planned to vent anger against the island republic’s alleged interference into Malaysia’s affairs.
The “protest”, believed to be organised by a pro-Umno blogger who goes by the moniker “mymassa”, was to have started at 2.30pm after Friday prayers with a march from the from the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) mosque near the iconic Petronas Twin Towers and end at the Singaporean diplomatic mission in Jalan Tun Razak.
The anonymous blogger had accused three Singaporean envoys of holding a talk in the republic to galvanise its People’s Action Party (PAP) Youth members to take part in Malaysia’s 13th general election, which must be called by next year, based on a photo depicting an electoral process briefing that was allegedly taken in the Lion City recently.
A team of seven police officers were seen standing by outside the mosque earlier this afternoon but left shortly after 2.30pm, when no apparent assembly was taking place.
Another two-man police patrol team stationed outside the Singapore High Commission also left at about 3pm without any incident.
“According to the police, the protestors may not be coming,” a source working inside the Singapore High Commission told The Malaysian Insider. He asked not to be named.
In a blog post yesterday, “Mymassa” said Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and several other Malay non-government organisations (NGOs) including the right-wing Perkasa and Pekida had been informed of today’s planned protest.
But Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali denied being involved in the protest.
“Perkasa never planned the protest. We were never involved,” he told The Malaysian Insider when contacted.
“I don’t know which group organised it,” he added.
Electoral reform lobbyist, Bersih 3.0 Singapore, had earlier today alerted The Malaysian Insider to a possible demonstration at the Singaporean diplomatic mission here but refuted claims it had a hand in it.
Several Barisan Nasional ministers, MPs and key establishment figures, including former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, have been critical of the April 28 Bersih rally for free and fair elections in Kuala Lumpur, accusing the organisers and opposition leaders of having planned a coup against the government during the mass demonstration.
Bersih leaders have dismissed the allegation, saying the protest was intended only to seek electoral reforms.
