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March 27 'rally' is closed-door gathering, says Zaid
Published:  Feb 23, 2016 10:21 AM
Updated: 9:14 AM

The supposed rally against Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and former law minister Zaid Ibrahim is not a public protest.

Instead, Zaid said the March 27 event is just a closed-door meeting.

"I see many readers still talking about the rally on March 27. It's a gathering of leaders in a closed-door setting.

"I never said it will be a street protest, or a public rally.

"I'm not like Bersih," Zaid tweeted today.

Met at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex, Zaid said the gathering will be an "invite-only" affair involving about 1,000 people.

He will invite representatives of political parties from across the divide, student leaders and civil society members, to push for an independent investigation on 1MDB.

However, Zaid added, he will not invite PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang ( photo ) to the gathering.

“I will invite (Umno deputy president) Muhyiddin Yassin, (deposed Kedah menteri besar) Mukhriz Mahathir, former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, (DAP national publicity secretary and Petaling Jaya Utara MP) Tony Pua who is familiar with the matter.

“Only those who have the courage to speak up against what is happening in the country will be invited, including dissident Umno branch leaders. We need to get to the bottom of things as to what is going on. The gathering will be across the political spectrum,” said the former de facto law minister.

However, he said it would be up to Muhyiddin to come to the gathering.

For an independent investigation to happen, he said, the prime minister must be suspended from duty.

Zaid also called on Najib's appointed attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali and inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar to also be suspended to allow for independent investigations.

He brushed off Khalid's suggestion that March 27 would be a rally.

“It is the IGP who said so, not me. I always maintained that it is a gathering. It will be held at a place which I will divulge when the time comes and the police would be duly inform over this,” he said.

Najib can resume duty as PM if he is cleared in the independent investigation, Zaid said.

1MDB is now being investigated by a bi-partisan Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

The PAC today said it will table the auditor-general's report on 1MDB next month.

Attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali has cleared Najib of wrongdoing on the RM2.6 billion donation and RM42 million from state-owned SRC International found in his personal bank accounts.

Apandi has said the RM2.6 billion was a political donation from the Saudi royal family.

The Wall Street Journal , however, insists its investigations found a money trail tracing back to 1MDB - a claim 1MDB refutes.

Najib, who is chairperson of 1MDB board of advisers, denies abusing public funds.

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