YOURSAY ‘And yet the home minister allowed its members to join the protest?’

Zahid gives Umno members green light for red shirt rally

Cocomomo: The red shirt demonstration is a racial rally from its stated intentions, unlike the Bersih 4 rally which was to reform the unfair electoral system and make a statement against corruption.

Are the red shirts saying that it is okay to have a crooked election system and corrupt leaders? Hopefully moderate Umno leaders will speak out against this rally or have they too joined the dark side?

Not Confused: Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has made a massive blunder. Of course, the red-shirt rally should proceed - it is their right.

However, Zahid will have to take the same approach he did with those who attended Bersih 4, and when it happens (and it will) Bersih 5.

CQ Muar: Now look who's talking. During the Bersih 4 rally, orders were given out by Zahid that no Umno members should be seen attending the rally, but now he contradicted himself with "I think that is the individual rights of Umno members".

Zahid is indirectly encouraging those red-shirt protestors to stage the counter rally (a show of might against the Chinese). If such is not the behaviour of a racist, then what is?

As such, should there be any outbreak of violence, Zahid must solely be blamed and held responsible. We hope the IGP will take note of that.

Vent: The red shirts should be allowed to demonstrate for the same reasons any group in Malaysia should be allowed to.

We can then make the inevitable comparisons between Bersih, which materialised as people power, and while the red shirt rally is racially fueled and provocative.

As the police have put their head on the chopping block on this, I would just wait to see how this one pans out. Meanwhile, I would ignore the intellectually bereft comments of the DPM.

JusticeNow!: Zahid, the so-called red-shirt rally has no organiser, no specific objective except a few posters and some warm-up demonstration by a few agitators of violence and hatred, and you are encouraging Umno participation by not objecting to it?

Liew Lean Kut: Well, let them rally. It is their right to rally so long as they are peaceful like Bersih.

There must be a reason for the rally. If they say they want to show Malay might, it is also alright as the Malays are in the majority.

If they say they want to show support for the PM, now, that is different. They are supporting a leader accused by Malaysians and international anti-corruption agencies of grand corruption for transferring RM2.6 billion into his own bank account.

I am sure many literate Malay leaders know the difference.

Ferdtan: We don’t even know the organiser of the red shirt rally, and yet the home minister allowed its members to join the protest?

The unknown organiser also did not approach the police to inform them about the rally like what the Bersih organiser did, and yet the police did not warn them of consequences of not following the law?

Are they exempt from the law? Or are the police afraid of their boss, the minster in charge of them, since he has allowed Umno members to join the protest? Is this a country where rule of law is respected?

Appum: The home minister has given the green light. So what else do these red shirts need? Since the home minister himself says okay, the responsibility for the behaviour of these demonstrators lies with him.

So rakyat, there is no need to worry. The home minister will see that they are peaceful. After all, he and the police threatened the Bersih people and it was still peaceful.

Pahatian: Don't forget that as DPM, you are also the government. So as one of the vice-presidents of Umno, the giving of green light to the red-shirt rally, you are also implying that the government has no objection and that it condones such a highly criminal and racially-charged mob to take to the streets.

You also said that you will leave it to the police to take action. Aren't you the home minister and the overall man in charge of the police force?

So now we have the DPM cum home minister cum Umno VP giving the go ahead to the red shirts to take to the streets and potentially causing rowdiness, mischief, damage to properties and endangering lives.

n1: Unlike Bersih, this is an obvious attempt to play up racial sentiments to cover up the on-going corruption by those in power. Bolehland is in a very sad state of affair.

The ringgit will continue to fall and it will soon reach the RMB (renminbi) level. Goods from China will soon be too expensive for people in this country.

Retnam: All the best to the red shirts. As for the rest, stock up on food for a week or two, stay in your house and don't come out until the rally is over. As for the businesses, close shop for the day. All will be fine.

The whole thing will be forgotten witihin a week. As for Sabahans and Sarawakians, this is the ultimate insult to your independence day. Keep voting for them.

Gaji Buta: If I was the PM and the people were going to organise a racial rally to protest against another group, claiming to defend me as their excuse, I would immediately put a stop to it.

I would reflect on why such people want to put the nation's stability at risk to defend my pride or position. But who am I kidding? The whole country is expendable...

When threatening Chinese is an act of patriotism

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