Some 300 angry protesters from various Malay non-governmental organisations torched an effigy of Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng near the state government office in Komtar this afternoon.

sedaq protest against penang government 050210 02 The protest, which kicked off at a nearby mosque in George Town, brought traffic in the area to a standstill and drew hundreds of onlookers.

The near 45-minute protest was organised by Sedaq - an umbrella body for some 50 Malay NGOs.

Armed with banners, the group voiced their dissatisfaction against the alleged marginalisation of Malays in the state by the DAP-led Pakatan Rakyat government.

sedaq protest against penang government 050210 banner One of the banners read, "Lim Guan Eng, Don't test our patience, Malays are the lords of this land."

The protesters also sported headbands emblazoned with the words 'Sedaq' and 'Hidup Melayu' and shouted anti-state government slogans and jibes against Lim's government for ignoring and neglecting the plight of their community.

Cops halt fiery speeches

sedaq protest against penang government 050210 burn guan eng puppet 02 Using loud-hailers, six Sedaq leaders, including Penang Malays Chamber of Commerce president Rizal Faris Mohideen and Gabungan Pelajar Melayu Semananjung (GPMS) president Jais Karim, gave hard hitting speeches against Lim's administration under the watchful eyes of the police.

The demonstration was held with a police permit issued by northeast district acting police chief Gan Kong Meng.

sedaq protest against penang government 050210 burn guan eng puppet 03 However, the police stopped several speakers when their speeches 'crossed the line'.

They then toned down the racial elements in their speeches before  marching to Komtar with a memorandum for Lim who despatched his personal assistant to receive it on his behalf.

Apparently, the group took this as a snub and promptly burned the memo and set fire to about a metre-high effigy of Lim in the presence of the police before dispersing at around 3.30pm