.jpeg)
THE student-led protest, Gempur Rasuah Sabah 2.0, concluded this afternoon with the burning of protest props, following an overnight sit-in and a rally march the previous day.
Organisers claimed several incidents took place during their more than 12-hour sit-in at Lintasan Deasoka on Saturday night — including one involving a suspected acid or paint remover attack on a vehicle belonging to one of the rally participants.
Suara Mahasiswa UMS leader Fadhil Kasim told reporters that the protest ended with the symbolic burning of a placard with the words “Madani Pelindung Rasuah Sabah” (Madani, protector of Sabah corruption).
He claimed that corrupt and unethical figures continued to go unpunished despite earlier pledges by the government to end corruption — particularly in Sabah.
While Fadhil did not refer to any specific cases, his remarks come amid reports of upcoming corruption charges against several Sabah lawmakers accused of trading mining licences for political funds.
The alleged transactions involve a businessman based in Peninsular Malaysia.
The Suara Mahasiswa UMS rally saw students marching through downtown Kota Kinabalu, calling for clean governance, urgent reform of the water supply system, and greater institutional accountability.
Their protest coincided with the official birthday parade for Head of State Tun Musa Aman on Saturday.
The group held an overnight sit-in near the popular Gaya Street Fair, where they organised various programmes throughout the night.
However, their activities were disrupted around 9.30pm when they claimed an unknown individual splashed what was believed to be acid or paint remover on one of the vehicles parked nearby.
No police report had been lodged at the time of writing. Fadhil said they would file a report later, accompanied by legal counsel.
“We intentionally delayed the report because we need to stay focused on defending ourselves here,” he said.
Another confrontation reportedly occurred between the students and police monitoring the overnight protest.
This followed the group’s refusal to comply with a request from officers, who allegedly asked one of the students—believed to be female—to follow them into a secluded area nearby to present her MyKad.
The incident has since gone viral on social media. - June 22, 2025
