Red Shirts Rally Will See A 40% Chinese Participation This Year
The rally's leader claims that this year's protest will see a multiracial participation.
By Nandini Balakrishnan — 15 Aug 2016, 08:12 AM
'Red shirts' rally mouthpiece Jamal Mohd Yunos has claimed that this year's Himpunan Merah will see a 40% Malaysian Chinese participation
Datuk Jamal Mohd Yunos at the launching of 'Himpunan Merah 2.0, yesterday, 14 August.
Image via Malaysiakini/ Koh Jun Lin"I have discussed this for nearly two weeks, so there won’t be any problems and I am confident that if the rally is to go ahead, 40% of the participants would be Chinese.
"We have discussed; we have prepared. We are serious in this matter and not just fooling around," Red Shirt rally organiser, Datuk Jamal Md Yunos said this to reporters at the 'Himpunan Merah 2.0' press conference at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), yesterday, 14 August, as reported by Malaysiakini.
"The difference with the rally this time around is that we have an understanding between Malays, Chinese, and Indians, and this time we will come together, unlike before," said Jamal.
The first "Red Shirts" rally was held on 16 September 2015 and it saw a gathering of Malays with most holding racially-sensitive placards. The main aim of the rally was to counter Bersih 4.0 but it was instead tinged with racist remarks.
Some of the protesters from Batu Pahat arrived carrying placards that read, "Lu jangan cabar hak Melayu" (Don't challenge Malay rights), "Jangan cabar bangsa dan agama kami" (Don't challenge our race and religion) and "Bangkit Melayu Bangkit" (Rise, Malays, rise) and "Hidup Melayu" (Long Live Malays) on during the rally.
They were also seen chanting, "Hidup Melayu" (Long live Malays) while carrying banners that read "Ini Tanah Melayu" (This is Malay land) written in Jawi script.
Aside from placards claiming to defend the Malays' dignity, there were also some that took a hit at the local Chinese community and opposition party, DAP with placards like "Cina DAP jangan kurang ajar di Malaysia" (Don't be rude in Malaysia, DAP Chinese) and "DAP pengkhianat bangsa" (DAP are traitors).
Confident with this year's 'red shirts' rally participation, the Sungai Besar UMNO chief also claimed that 58,000 people including almost 600 local NGOs, have already pledged their support for the anti-Bersih movement
He added that 50,000 Himpunan Merah t-shirts, have already been printed, 5,000 of which will begin distribution today at RM10 each. A nationwide roadshow will also be held to promote its cause.
Jamal maintained his aim of drawing 300,000 participants to his ‘Red Shirt’ rally, which is meant as a counter-demonstration to the Bersih 5 rally. A 40% Chinese participation would mean that 120,000 of targeted 300,000 'Red Shirts' would be ethnic Chinese.
The Bersih 5 rally is to pressure the government to act on the 1MDB scandal, in light of the allegations made in the US Department of Justice’s court filings last month. The date and venue of the rally has yet to be decided.
Jamal vowed that the group would meet the Bersih 5 rally at the same time and place.
malaysiakini.com
The main aim of this year's planned 'red shirts' rally is said to imitate Bersih 5's plans and actions.
Jamal assured that the "red shirts" rally would be cancelled, if Bersih 5 is called off.
Bersih 4.0 was held from 29 till 30 August, with a crowd estimation of about 500,000 people in KL.
Image via Kwong Wah via NK Khoo"For us it is simple: If they do, we do. If they follow the law, we will follow the law. If they follow the laws of the jungle, we too would follow the laws of the jungle…
"On whether it is illegal or not, there, are rules on how a peaceful assembly should be held. If they follow the rules, we would follow the rules. If they don’t follow the rules, we too (would follow suit). What’s wrong with that?" asked Jamal, as reported by Malaysiakini, yesterday, 14 August.
The launching of 'Himpunan Merah 2.0' yesterday, was reportedly accompanied with loud shouts of 'Hidup Merah!' and 'Hidup Datuk Jamal!'. According to Malaysiakini, Jamal went on to say that Bersih is a "shallow-minded" coalition that has "brought nothing but hardships in its previous rallies".
Ironically, he also said that Bersih should realise the fact that a government can only be deposed through elections and not street rallies.
Do you think the Malaysian Chinese community will participate in this year's 'red shirts' rally? Let us know what you think in the comment section below!
Prior to the 'red shirts' rally last year, the anti-Bersih group held a "self-defense" demonstration that involved them beating each other up:
Last year's 'red shirts' rally was held on 16 September and ended with FRU releasing chemical-laced water cannons: