UMNO's protesters were protected by police

Counter-protest turns into two-car convoy

By Melissa Chi

December 05, 2010

GAPS protestors pose with motorcycles before their planned march. — Picture by Jack Ooi

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 5 — An anti-Selangor protest today, which drew 300 people in a march from Stadium Merdeka to Istana Negara, has turned into a mere two-car convoy.

Gagasan Anti Penyelewengan Selangor (GAPS) president Hamidzun Khairuddin told The Malaysian Insider that he had hoped his group would be allowed march to the National Palace to hand over the memorandum to the Yang diPertuan Agong.

The police, however, only permitted two cars carrying some of the protestors through the security cordon.

The newly-formed group, comprising members from about 50 non-governmental organisations, was to deliver a memorandum on 30 points of alleged mismanagement of the Selangor state government under Pakatan Rakyat’s leadership.

The protest was seen as an attempt to counter the state government’s rally for the state’s water rights, due to proceed from the National Mosque to the palace, also to hand over a memorandum to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong today.

The clash between two groups to hand their memorandums to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong was reminiscent of the anti-ISA and pro-ISA protests here in August 2009.

Clad in black shirts and yellow head cloths, the protestors were mainly men in their early 20s who had arrived earlier on motorcycles. They were also joined by a bus-load of women who were involved in a 1 Malaysia event at the Dataran Merdeka earlier.

The gathering soon dispersed after the two cars proceeded towards the palace at around 12.30pm.

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