2,000 play 'cat and mouse' with cops

About 2,000 people today attempted to march from Kampung Baru mosque after Friday prayers to the iconic Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur to protest against last week's sharp rise in petrol prices.

However, the police thwarted their attempt by blocking Jalan Raja Abdullah - the main road leading to the destination - Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC), about 3km away.

Confronted with the roadblocks, marchers instead used an alternative route, heading west in a circuitous route to KLCC.

PAS’ burgundy-uniformed voluntary unit, known as the Unit Amal, formed a 30-person human shield at the front serving as a buffer between the crowd and the police, resulting in a splash of red at the head of of the crowd (photo above).

Onlookers and bystanders were drawn to the crowd as the protestors chanted “turun, turun Abdullah!” repeatedly along Jalan Raja Alang and towards Chow Kit [see map below].

At 2.22pm, many of them were in the Chow Kit area, north of the city, with the police helping to control the traffic, which was forced to a standstill as the crowd poured into the streets.

Interestingly, despite being caught in the temporary gridlock, most motorists showed their appreciation to the protestors by honking their vehicles.

The marchers, led by PAS Youth chief Salahuddin Ayub, then headed south along Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman towards Jalan Sultan Ismail.

However, in the effort to avoid an ugly confrontation with the police, who have formed a tight cordon around KLCC, the crowd marched further south to the Sogo Department store, instead of turning left into Jalan Sultan Ismail [see map].

At Sogo, the crowd of about 2,000 people decided to conduct an impromptu sit-in in the middle of the busy Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman.

This was followed by a fiery 10-minute speech by Salahuddin, who kept the crowd's spirits high despite a tiring 3km walk in scorching heat.

"We want to show how unhappy the Malaysian public are with the oil price rise," said Salahuddin.

"The government has forced us to the streets to demand a reversal of this disastrous policy. This is more than a wake-up call for the PM," he added.

"This is a message to the government. If they don't act, we will have one million people turn up on July 5 to demand action."

The crowd responded: "Overthrow the policy!"

PAS vice-president Mohd Sabu, who spoke after Salahuddin, drew loud jeers from the crowd when he said, “I now have to pay RM7 for just rice and vegetables. While the people are suffering, the wife of the deputy minister (Najib Razak) spent a few hundred thousand pounds shopping in England.”

After stopping in Sogo for about 15 minutes, about 1,000 continued their march towards the PAS headquarters located in Jalan Raja Laut, about one kilometre away.

The crowd then dispersed peacefully upon reaching the PAS building, after once again hearing a short reminder from Salahuddin for everyone to participate in the July 5 'one million people' rally.

"We must support the people's rights to demand more help from the government because we are suffering from this price rise," said Siti Anisah, a 45-year-old clerk wearing a blue headscarf.

"I think there will be more protests because we definitely don't want to pay so much more. How do I feed my children?" she said.

The rally, which started at about 2pm, ended at 3.15pm.

Unlike previous rallies, not a single tear-gas canister was fired nor a drop of acid-laced water was used against the protestors.

PAS leader Dr Dzulkifli Ahmad, who appeared elated, said the march was a success although the police had blocked their route to the KLCC.

"We were still able to express our dissatisfaction," he told Malaysiakini.

Dangi Wangi OCPD ACP Zulkarnain Abd Rahman, when contacted, confirmed that no arrests were made at today's rally.

Heavy police presence

Earlier at the Friday afternoon prayers, the Kampung Baru mosque was packed with people - numbering some 3,000, while about 500 others prayed outside.

Just before the prayers, a mosque official urged people not to gather in the mosque compound to take part in the rally.

About 1pm, PAS leaders and key organisers Salahuddin, Dzulkilfi, Syed Azman Syed Nawawi and Nasaruddin Tantawi arrived at the mosque.

Earlier this morning, hundred of Federal Reserve Unit members were stationed at the mosque and its surrounding areas, backed by a water-cannon truck and four FRU trucks.

Several roads leading to Kampung Baru and other roads in the city were also blocked by the police.

Meanwhile in KLCC, dozens of police officers were seen at the entrance. One water cannon and seven FRU trucks were parked under the shadows of the Twin Tower in the KLCC park, along with a fire brigade truck.

The rally today, one of many that is to be held in the coming weeks, is to protest last week's whopping 41 percent fuel price hike, raising prices at the pumps to RM2.70 per litre.

Watch a 2-min video of the protest march

See map of the march

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