The ‘thosai protest’ planned outside deputy inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar’s house this Sunday is cancelled.

Vocal NGO coalition WargaAman, who is behind the plans, has responded to calls not to engage in a tit-for-tat with anti-Bersih protesters.

NONE WargaAman chairperson A Rajaretinam ( right ) confirmed that the protest has officially been cancelled, but said that they would instead deliver Khalid's ‘thosai telur’ (egg thosai) order.

A few WargaAman members would purchase the 'thosai telur' from a nearby stall and deliver it to Khalid's house, by hand, at 10am on Sunday, he told a press conference today.

Rajaretinam said the decision was made based on the advise of DAP leader Lim Kit Siang, former Perak menteri besar Nizar Jamaluddin and Bersih co-chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan.

He gave the deputy inspector-general of police 24 hours to indicate whether he still wanted the thosai, so that they need not deliver if he did not want it.

“We are calling off the stall but we are fulfilling his wish (for the thosai). He is our customer,” he said in reference to Khalid’s reaction to the proposed events, where he jokingly ordered a 'thosai telur'.

NONE Asked why the protest in the first place, Rajaretinam said he wanted to gauge the reaction of the people to another such event in light of Khalid’s remarks that the protest outside Ambiga’s house was not a criminal offence .

He slammed Khalid for his double standards on the issue: “When it’s at someone else’s house, he says it is okay.

“But when we want to have it at his house, he says to go to the padang (field).

“We got a good response from the public. Certain quarters pushed for the event and even said, ‘Why stop with thosai?’,” Rajaretinam said, explaining that there were to be three stalls - for thosai, char kuay teow and nasi lemak.

However, WargaAman eventually came to the conclusion not to repeat the mistakes of the previous protesters, he added.

The event could cause disruption in the neighbourhood, and so they made the “wise move” of considering Khalid’s privacy and the peace of the neighbourhood.

“I believe up to 5,000 people would have gathered, otherwise,” he claimed.

Rajaretinam urged the people not to gather at Khalid’s house on Sunday, but said WargaAman would not be responsible if people proceeded anyway.

“Now, the ball is in his (Khalid’s) court (to accept the thosai or not),” he added, joking that the ‘thosai telur’ would be halal and come complete with chutney and curry.

Anti-Bersih group calls off protest as well

Meanwhile the hawkers’ group Ikhlas, which organised the 'burger protest' last week, has also called off its planned follow-up protest outside Bersih co-chairperson S Ambiga’s house on May 24.

NONE Its president Mohd Ridzuan Abdullah (right) said they have already achieved their goal of “teaching Ambiga a lesson” for leading the mammoth April 28 rally for clean and fair elections.

“We have taught Ambiga enough. We are not doing business outside her doorstep... We wanted her to feel it. And now she has.

“We wanted her to realise... She cannot even handle one, two hours. How about the traders (who cannot do business for a whole day). Who will bear (the losses)?”Ridzuan asked.

Previously, Ikhlas courted controversy with its members holding their ‘ burger protest ’ in front of Ambiga’s house.

Speaking at a press conference at the National Human Rights Commission (Suhakam), Ridzuan stressed that he would not be responsible if any trader still wanted to conduct business outside Ambiga’s house, .

After the last protest, he said, up to 200 traders had said they too wanted to join in hawking in front of the Bersih leader’s house.

“Because there will be restrictions by the police and the Kuala Lumpur City Hall, we will respect the police. Therefore, I announce that (the protest) will not take place on the given date,” he added.

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