THE street protest against Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Azam Baki is heating up with Amanah Youth pledging to send 1,000 members to the demonstration this Saturday.

The party’s lawyer Fadhli Umar Aminolhuda said they are also planning to mobilise about 10 lawyers to observe the rally.

He said Amanah Youth is fully supportive of the peaceful demonstration against Azam over his shares ownership scandal.

“We have not only stated our commitment to mobilise as many members to Sogo (shopping mall) but we will also commit to preparing at least 10 lawyers on that day.

“The lawyers will be observers and ensure the law is not violated, so that this peaceful demonstration can take place in an orderly manner in line with the set standard operating procedure (SOP),” he said at a press conference.

Earlier today, representatives of 17 civil society groups and eight political parties will lead a street protest this weekend if no action is taken against Azam over his share purchase.

The group urged Malaysians to gather in front of Sogo in Kuala Lumpur at 11am on Saturday.

They demanded the immediate arrest and indictment of Azam and that the MACC be restructured and placed under parliamentary oversight.

Earlier today, the Securities Commission (SC) said it was unable to determine if Azam breached any rules in allowing his trading account to be used by his brother.

It said investigations have ended but “based on evidence gathered, the SC is not able to conclusively establish that a breach under section 25(4) of the Securities Industry (Central Depositories) Act 1991 has occurred,” the regulator said in a statement.

Fadlhi, meanwhile, said there was also pressure on those who have shared on social media posters related to the demonstration.

This, he said, was in the case of activist Adam Adli, who has been called in for police questioning this Thursday.

He added that lawyers will be offering their services pro bono for those who posted the posters related to the #TangkapAzamBaki demonstration.

“The right to freedom of assembly is enshrined under Article 10 of the Federal Constitution.

“Youths must not be intimidated and to attend the rally en masse this Saturday.”

Sekretariat Solidariti Rakyat, Democratic People’s League, Young Voters Association and the National Association of Students are part of the protest.

The political parties with them included Muda, PKR, DAP, Amanah and Pakatan Harapan.

Last week, PKR youth members staged a protest in front of MACC headquarters in Putrajaya following the revelation that Azam had owned millions of shares in two companies in 2015 and 2016 when he was head of the MACC investigation unit.

Concerns were raised over whether he had declared the shares as required of a civil servant and how he had acquired the money to buy the shares.

Azam has explained that his brother had bought the shares using the MACC chief’s trading account, which meant they could have violated SC regulations.

The MACC Anti-Corruption Advisory Board, an internal oversight panel, said last week it accepted Azam’s explanation and cleared him of any wrongdoing. – January 18, 2022.