Mohamad Sabu plays down anti-Anwar rally, says only internal splits topple governments

AMANAH president Datuk Mohamad Sabu has shrugged concerns over the ‘Turun Anwar’ rally, saying that demonstrations have never led to a change of government in Malaysia.

The Agriculture and Food Security Minister said it was internal political fractures and not street protests that historically caused governments to collapse.

“No matter how strong the opposition is, a government can only be brought down through elections. And that only happened once in 2018,” he said.

His remarks come amid calls by civil society groups and opposition-aligned activists to stage a “Turun Anwar” protest on July 26.

He cited rising public dissatisfaction over cost of living issues and perceived government inaction on reform.

But Mohamad, a veteran politician and founding member of several reform movements, said mass protests even those drawing tens of thousands like the Bersih Rally had never succeeded in toppling ruling coalitions.

“We held all kinds of rallies. Against price hikes. To defend the judiciary when Salleh Abas was sacked. We organised Bersih rallies to demand fair elections and the right to assemble,” he said, referring to the 1988 judicial crisis and a series of mass rallies in the 2000s and 2010s.

At the time, he said, the political climate was more restrictive where the police has the authority to shut down any event.

“Even our ceramah in remote villages were tear-gassed. I was dragged out of a window by supporters in Kedah.

“I was locked up more times than I can count just for giving speeches,” he said.

He also took a swipe at former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who recently said police permits were no longer required for public gatherings.

“Now Mahathir says you don’t need a permit. He forgets that I was arrested the most under his government, for speaking in public. But never mind, he’s almost 100. Let him say what he wants,” he said in jest.

Mohamad argued that real political change only occurred when governments fractured from within, citing UMNO’s internal crisis in 1990 and the dramatic collapse of the Pakatan Harapan government in 2020.

“In 1990, almost half the UMNO supreme council walked out. Ministers resigned. But we only took Kelantan.”

“In 2018, things changed. Giants came,  Mahathir, (Tan Sri) Muhyiddin Yassin, former prime ministers and deputy prime ministers joined us. Then we won,” he said.

He said the fall of Pakatan Harapan two years later via the Sheraton Move had nothing to do with public protests.

“PH didn’t fall because of the people. It was because of betrayal. Bersatu broke. (Datuk) Azmin Ali and his group broke off. That’s how we lost the majority. That’s how the 22-month government fell,” he said.

Referring to the planned protest later this month, he urged supporters not to be alarmed.

“Let them shout ‘Turun’. We used to shout too — ‘Turun Najib’, ‘Undur Mahathir’. But in the end, he stepped down on his own. He wasn’t defeated in an election.”

“The real danger is not the rallies. It’s if we fall apart from within,” he said. - July 19, 2025