Number of groups, parties joining anti-Azam rally balloons to 41

KUALA LUMPUR – The organisers of the upcoming protest calling for the arrest of the country's top graft-buster Tan Sri Azam Baki have announced a host of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and opposition parties taking part in the event on Saturday.

On Twitter, the group called the Arrest Azam Baki Action Committee has shared a list of 41 NGOs and parties that will be joining the rally.

The list of civil society groups and NGOs includes the likes of Sekretariat Solidariti Rakyat, Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall Youth, Universiti Malaya Students’ Union, Suara Rakyat Malaysia, Coalition of Free and Fair Elections, Muslim Youth Movement Malaysia, Aliran, and Save Malaysia Stop Lynas, among others.

The political parties taking part mostly comprise the youth wings representing the opposition fold.

The group includes the PKR, DAP, and Amanah youth wings, as well as Muda, Pejuang Youth, and Parti Sosialis Malaysia Youth.

Kemaskini :

Pertubuhan yang bersama #TangkapAzamBaki semakin BERTAMBAH..

Sertai Telegram Group untuk maklumat dan koordinasi 220122 nanti : https://t.co/oP0hcdyws4 pic.twitter.com/mELuKSRK8Y

— Tangkap Azam Baki (@TangkapAzamBaki) January 20, 2022

East Malaysian political parties are represented by Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak Baru and Warisan.

Yesterday, the committee urged Malaysians to join the rally, which will take place in front of the Sogo shopping complex starting at 11am.

The protest group is urging authorities to immediately arrest Azam, take legal action against him, and revamp the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and place the agency under the purview of Parliament.

The committee said those who are not able to attend physically can opt to fly a black flag and use the hashtag #TangkapAzamBaki and #RombakSPRM on all social media posts.

The group also announced the setting up of its official Twitter account @TangkapAzamBaki to disseminate the latest information. Alternatively, the public can also obtain details from the Telegram channel.

Speculations of the proposed street rally initially surfaced last Thursday, with a poster detailing the date and venue of the demonstrations being circulated by several youth activists on social media.

Dang Wangi police chief Noor Dellhan Yahaya had said yesterday that police have yet to receive any applications to hold a rally in Dataran Merdeka, and warned that the protest would be in violation of current Covid-19 standard operating procedures.

All of this follows revelations that Azam had purchased millions of shares in 2015, going against the country’s law that bars civil servants from owning shares amounting to more than RM100,000.

Azam has maintained his innocence, saying the shares were actually purchased by his brother Datuk Nasir Baki under his name. He also said these had been transferred back to Nasir the same year.

The parliamentary select committee on agencies under the Prime Minister’s Department, which was supposed to meet and question Azam tomorrow, has been postponed indefinitely, with the latter said to be refusing to cooperate.

The Arrest Azam Baki Action Committee said the fact that the MACC chief has refused to cooperate and chose instead to sue a reporter for RM10 million for defamation has only given rise to more questions than answers. – The Vibes, January 20, 2022