KUALA LUMPUR – The stark contrast in turnout for the Keretapi Sarong gathering and the Perikatan Nasional-led Save Malaysia rally on Malaysia Day today here highlighted how Malaysians chose to shun divisive politics.
For entrepreneur Mudasir Khan, Malaysia Day should have been an occasion to unite citizens instead of polarising the people, as what fosters harmony is showcasing appreciation for the country’s diversity.
“There is a lot of toxic politics going on in Malaysia currently and the people are evidently getting tired of it.
“The Save Malaysia rally could have been well intended (to show) how protests are part of our Malaysian culture, but it’s pretty clear that the rally was not about acceptance in Malaysia, and was instead more about pushing an ideology that could break apart the people.”
Adding that the rally was “in poor taste”, Mudasir pointed to how while both gatherings were held in the same vicinity in the city centre here, only Keretapi Sarong saw a diverse and multicultural crowd reflecting Malaysia’s unique demographics.
Echoing similar sentiments, office worker Mohd Azmi Abdullah bemoaned how the Malaysia Day celebrations had been tarnished by the rally organised by PN and Pejuang to voice their displeasure over the conditional discharge granted to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in his graft case.
“The difference in the crowd that turned up for the Keretapi Sarong event and the Save Malaysia rally reflects the reality on the ground – people are tired of politicking.
“We’ve had general elections, state elections, by-elections… enough, it’s Malaysia Day, can we at least celebrate this one day peacefully?” he told Scoop.
The Keretapi Sarong event earlier today saw more than 100,000 participants clad in colourful traditional outfits take part in festivities at Dataran Merdeka.
The Save Malaysia rally, which began at the Kg Baru mosque and made its way to the Sogo shopping complex, is said to have been attended by about 850 individuals.
Mudasir and Azmi are not alone in their opinion as netizens took to Twitter to call attention to how Keretapi Sarong was the embodiment of true Malaysian spirit while low attendance at the Save Malaysia rally signifies the people’s rejection of “narrow politics”.
“It’s clear that the Save Malaysia gathering brought by the opposition was a failure. The Keretapi Sarong which united the people was better received,” one user, @amer7211, said in response to a video of an aerial shot of the Save Malaysia gathering at Sogo.
Another user @EppuFizul joked that PN supporters had conducted the Save Malaysia rally online to avoid the scorching heat while user @mohdzanuar shared a video of Keretapi Sarong’s “true Malaysian gathering”.
Meanwhile, user @peanutbutter167 thanked Keretapi Sarong participants for apparently declining to attend the Save Malaysia rally, saying: “I think it’s safe to say that there’s hope for Malaysia today.”
For user @muhazsab, the higher turnout at Keretapi Sarong compared to the Save Malaysia rally shows that “Malaysians prefer peace and unity over xenophobic political movements”. – September 16, 2023
