Opposition leaders make a beeline to Dataran

FMT Staff | April 28, 2012

Anwar arrives with foreign observers as the crowd marches to the historic site.

KUALA LUMPUR: Opposition leaders have made a beeline to the vicinity of Dataran Merdeka, taking advantage of the mammoth Bersih 3.0 rally.

One of the early birds at the city, where a crowd of about 40,000 have gathered, was PKR deputy president Azmin Ali, who is also Gombak MP.

He stoked the sentiments of the participants at Dataran Mayban earlier before moving to another location.

The opposition seems to be using the National Mosque as the focal point.

Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and his wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is the PKR president, arrived at about 12.45pm at the mosque to be greeted by thousands of participants shouting slogans.

Anwar arrived with several foreign observers. It is yet to be ascertained who these observers are.

PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu, DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang and former tourism minister Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir are all at the National Mosque waiting for the march towards Dataran Merdeka to begin.

A Samad Ismail, the national laureate, is at the bridge linking Dataran Merdeka and Central Market, reading the Quran and ignoring the police.

DAP chairman Karpal Singh is also at the scene at the Central Market.

Speaking in one voice

Bersih co-chairperson S Ambiga, speaking to the crowd at Central Market, said: “Today is a historic day. Today is our day and no one can take it away from us.

“Today we speak with one voice. We want clean elections. We shall walk peacefully, we will not listen to any provocation.”

“We will walk up to where they [the police] allow us to walk. We will not breach the barrier. We already have succeeded [coming this far],” she added.