Cabbies rally against Bersih march

(The Star) – Taxi drivers are protesting against the planned Bersih 2.0 rally, saying their business will be badly affected if they cannot transport passengers within the tourist hub.

Executive Taxi Owners’ Association chairman Azmi Mohd Yatim said taxi drivers would be unable to pick up and drop off passengers if the organisers went ahead with the rally on July 9.

“We won’t be able to go into the city, especially around Dataran Merdeka and other tourist spots, if there are roadblocks heading into the city.

“Tourists will have a bad impression of our country if the rally were to take place. We are politically neutral and all we want is to be able to make a living to support our families,” he said.

Taxi driver Shaharizal Othman, 39, said July was considered a “bonus month” for taxi drivers with the surge of tourists from the Middle East who come here during the summer.

“We have to pay an average of RM100 a day for car rent. If we are unable to pick up passengers for about a week due to the rally, we have to pay the rent every day on top of not receiving any income for days,” said Shaharizal, who has been a taxi driver for more than five years.

Another taxi driver, Hamran Idrus, 48, said he would probably not work on July 9 to avoid roadblocks if the rally were to proceed.

The taxi drivers, along with Puteri Umno chief Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin, handed over a memorandum to the Home Ministry protesting against the rally.

“As concerned citizens, Puteri Umno urges the Home Ministry to take stern action against the organisers of the street demonstration,” said Rosnah before handing over the memorandum to ministry representative Datuk Abdul Hamid Mohd Nazahar at the launch of the “People-friendly Ambassadors Protest Against Street Demon­stration” campaign at PWTC here yesterday.

Rosnah, who is also Deputy Health Minister, said the rallies would bring more harm than good, especially on a weekend when everyone wanted to have peace of mind.