'Last minute' Sabah NYE carnival won't thwart protest, group says

Summary

• The “Gempur Rasuah Sabah” anti-corruption rally will proceed on New Year’s Eve despite road closures and a concurrent state-sponsored carnival near the Sabah state administrative centre.

• Rally organisers criticise the carnival, announced last-minute, as an attempt to undermine their protest against corruption, which demands Chief Minister Hajiji Noor’s resignation and expedited MACC investigations.

• A counter-demonstration is also expected, raising safety concerns amid the overlapping events.

An upcoming New Year’s Eve carnival outside the Sabah state administrative centre will not derail the anti-corruption protest slated to take place at the same time and venue, said the “Gempur Rasuah Sabah” rally secretariat.

This is despite the Sabah Public Works Department issuing a closure notice for the surrounding roads for the carnival.

“The Gempur Rasuah Sabah rally secretariat will press on with the rally without compromising. It is a reflection of the people’s pent-up anger and disgust, not just for the corruption amongst the politicians in the government of the day, but also those in the opposition.

“The secretariat has made careful arrangements and is well prepared to ensure the rally proceeds smoothly,” it said in a statement today.

The student group Suara Mahasiswa UMS had announced plans on Dec 20 to hold the New Year’s Eve protest against corruption in the state.

Their demands include the resignation of Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor and for the MACC to expedite investigations on a corruption scandal that rocked the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah-led administration.

The protest is slated to begin at 2pm outside the University Malaysia Sabah campus, where organisers anticipate some 10,000 people will join the 2.5km march towards the state administration centre in Kota Kinabalu.

Another group - Sekretariat Himpunan Bangkit Sabahan - is purportedly planning a counter-demonstration on the same day and venue.

Road closures

However, since at least Dec 25, the Sabah Community Development Leaders Unit (UPPM) under the Chief Minister’s Department began promoting a New Year’s Eve Carnival that would be held from 10am to 6pm that day.

According to the carnival’s promotional poster, the event would feature attractions such as lucky draws, performances, a colouring competition, food trucks, and more.

The Sabah Public Works Department issued a notice yesterday stating that some roads near the state administration centre will be closed from 9pm on Dec 30 until 11.59pm on Dec 31.

In addition, it said the routes in and out of the area would be controlled by the police.

“Members of the public are advised to follow the instructions of the police that will be directing traffic at the location,” it said.

Responding to the development, the Gempur Rasuah Sabah rally secretariat noted it is unusual for an event to be promoted just days in advance, and without anyone named to officiate the event.

“Clearly, this carnival is being held just because of us - the students and people of Sabah - who are rallying to fight the rot in the state,” it said.

It also accused the carnival’s organiser of being reckless by organising events such as the colouring contest that are bound to attract children, even though there is a large protest being held.

“This will put the safety of families, especially small children, at risk. Are the organisers of this ‘prop’ carnival prioritising stopping the protest above the people’s safety?” it said.

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