KUCHING: Mob street rally should not be allowed in a multi- racial country like Malaysia because people can express their feelings through the elections.
“It does not matter whether its Red Shirt, Yellow Shirt or Black Shirt, mob street rally is no good,” said Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing yesterday.
He stressed that mob street rally to express one’s feelings or to influence the government of the day’s system of administration should never be allowed to raise its ugly head in Malaysia.
“Whoever started it should have never been allowed to do so. A plan to hold a Red Shirt rally in KL to mark Malaysia Day on Sept 16 must be stopped. It is unhealthy. It is dangerous. The authority must stop it.
“We have a system to express our feelings – it is the ballot box. It’s the best system for a multi racial society like Malaysia,” said Masing who is Land Development Minister and Baleh assemblyman.
Masing made the remarks when commenting on a possible Red Shirt rally on Malaysia Day as a response to the recent Bersih 4.0 rally supposedly with the ultimate agenda to call for the resignation of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
Bersih followers sported yellow shirt, hence Yellow Shirt Rally.
It is still not clear if Bersih is pro-opposition Pakatan Rakyat and the Red Shirt group is pro-Barisan Nasional (BN) government.
There will be one rally on Sept 16. It is organised by the National Silat Federation (Pesaka) members but they would be sporting shirts in various colours.
The organiser of the proposed Red Shirt rally however agreed to follow Pesaka’s lead and gather at Padang Merbok, Petaling Jaya.
The group decided to do so following Pesaka president Tan Sri Mohd Ali Rustam’s statement that the federation would go ahead with the rally with the aim of protecting the sanctity of the Rukun Negara (National Principles).
An opposition leader Lim Kit Siang, however, claimed that the planned Red Shirt rally (or Himpunan Rakyat Bersatu) is sponsored by Umno by virtue of Rustam’s presence.
Lim stressed that if the organisers truly wanted the Red Shirt rally not to be racist, they could have used the slogan ‘Kebangkitan Maruah Malaysia (Rise of Malaysia’s Honour) instead of ‘Himpunan Rakyat Bersatu’ (United People’s Rally).
Meanwhile, former federal minister Zainuddin Maidin said the Red Shirt rally might be aborted if former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad turned up at the proposed rally on Sept 16.
Dr Mahathir showed up at Bersih 4.0 rally in Kuala Lumpur and stressed that he disagreed with the Red Shirt’s counter-rally.