Low turnout at Melayu Bangkit rally

By SAZALI M. NOOR, The Star

Dr Mahathir, in keynote speech, blames PAS and PKR for Malay disunity

KUALA TERENGGANU: The anticipated 5,000 people failed to turn up at the Melayu Bangkit rally here Monday, and the organisers blamed the FIFA World Cup for the low turnout.

“Probably, they (locals) were all tired after watching the World Cup telecasts, while many of those employed could not get leave,” rally organising chairman Razali Idris of Gerakan Kebangkitan Rakyat (People’s Consciousness Movement) told The Star.

However, Razali expressed his delight over the initiatives of 58 Malay non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to ensure their representatives were present at the rally.

The hundreds who turned up heard former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad deliver his keynote speech, in which he warned that the Malays risked becoming marginalised like “Singapore Malays”, if they continued to be mired in political diversion and were unable to tackle any crisis effectively.

He said Malays could end up as a minority in their own country if the community was disunited due to the agendas of political parties. He insinuated that Opposition leaders were responsible for Malays’ predicament.

Dr Mahathir observed that the Malay electorate’s support was now split into three Malay-based political parties, including Umno.

“Although Malays consists of 60% of the population, our votes are divided, eventually triggering feuds among the community. They (PAS and PKR) are only interested in power and not race or religion.

“They are willing to go to any extent to become prime minister,” he added.