Second day of fuel hike protests
At least three more protests were held in the Klang Valley over the sharp hike in fuel prices amidst government calls for the public to stay away from such events.
At least three more protests were held in the Klang Valley over the sharp hike in fuel prices amidst government calls for the public to stay away from such events. 
At 8.30 this morning, Teratai assemblyperson Jenice Lee led about 50 locals, including PAS and PKR activists, in a protest in front of the Taman Uda Jaya markets against the fuel hike.
Armed with placards and banners, the crowd protested for 30 minutes under the watchful eyes of officers from the Ampang Jaya district police station.
“Our economy is in shambles and yet the government is forcing us to pay more for petrol, rice and electricity,” she told the crowd.
While the protest went on without a hitch, she was called to the Ampang Jaya district police station at noon to have the statements recorded regarding the protest.
“They reacted very fast to our protest. I wish they react just as fast to robbery cases,” she told Malaysiakini.
Meanwhile, two more demonstrations were held after Friday prayers today.
‘PM, DPM must step down’
At the Kampung Baru Mosque, Kuala Lumpur some 200 people listened to a short speech condemning the government for increasing fuel prices by People’s Welfare Alliance (Ikrar) chairperson Mustapa Mansor.
“The government must revert immediately to the original fuel prices. If not, we will continue to hold street demonstrations nationwide,” he exclaimed to loud cheers from the crowd.
Mustapa called on the government to publicise the national oil giant Petronas’ annual accounts and also urged the crowd to attend the mass rally against the fuel hike slated for July 12.
“The prime minister and his deputy should also resign immediately because they are unable to run our economy effectively,” said Mustapa to loud cheers from the crowd.
His speech lasted about two minutes and the crowd began to disperse after the speech was read.
Dang Wangi district police chief ACP Zulkarnain Abdul Rahman who appeared at the scene later said that the protest was illegal but under control as the crowd had dispersed peacefully.
Police had also confiscated several posters used during the Ikrar protest.
In Petaling Jaya, some 50 protesters gathered in front of the Jumhuriyah Mosque, Taman Dato Harun for 15 minutes to voice opposition to the fuel hike.
Petaling Jaya Selatan PKR representative Mahharul Ismail told the crowd that a sharp hike in fuel prices was evidence that the government does not care about the public.
“Therefore we must change the government,” he said.
Petaling Jaya Selatan MP Hee Loy Siang described the fuel hike as an “atrocity” and that the public must actively call for the prices of petrol to drop.
Taman Medan assemblyperson Haniza Talha told reporters later that the gathering today was just the precursor to the July 12 gathering which would see a bigger turnout.
She said that the government must be fair to the people as the poor are going to be hardest hit by the increase in fuel prices.
The police has issued a stern warning to the public against attending similar rallies.
Deputy inspector general of police Ismail Omar said in a statement today that according to police intelligence, several groups are planning numerous demonstrations nationwide. “The purpose of the demonstration is to protest against the rise in fuel prices. I would like to stress that any public gathering requires a permit from the district police chief.
“Participating in a gathering without a permit is illegal and the police would not hesitate to take ‘serious’ action against wrong doers,” he said.
Ismail called on the public to cooperate to ensure public order is maintained.
Below are extracts of views of several Taman Dato Harun residents on the fuel hike when interviewed by Malaysiakini:
Bob Khairuddin bin Abdullah, 50, newspaper seller
Traders are the ones who have been suffering the strain most after the new fuel subsidy scheme had been implemented. The government is not tending to our needs at all.
Rasidi Jaafar, 62, pensioner
The rich are getting richer while the poor just keep getting poorer. Barisan Nasional are out to get revenge against the people for not voting for them during the general election. Parti Keadilan Rakyat on the other hand are powerless against them because they are not the government of the day.
Mohd Nawawi Ahmad, 54
The subsidies are simply too low and make almost no difference at all. Our government should learn more from other countries for example, Thailand where the government also increased the price of fuel but sustained the price of goods. Where is Anwar now? He promised us that the price of fuel would be reduced so he is the one who should combat this hike in fuel prices.
Geetha Prabakharan
There should be more transparency from the government regarding the state of its coffers because the implementation of new subsidy scheme is simply too harsh. Are we in such a critical state that the government had to resort to this?
What about Petronas and its profits? Now the rakyat are the ones who suffer the repercussions as a result of the government’s move to increase fuel prices.
Watch 2-min video of the demonstrations
Reporting by: Tarani Palani, Rahmah Gazali, S Pathmawathy, Loo Wai Hoong and Andrew Ong.
