THOUSANDS of Umno, PAS and Malay rights groups will gather at five locations – depending on the states they come from – in Kuala Lumpur today, before marching to Dataran Merdeka for the anti-ICERD rally.

This will be the first rally held with the new Pakatan Harapan government in power after the May 9 polls.

Thousands are expected to turn up to “celebrate” the government’s decision not to ratify the United Nations’ International Convention on The Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD).

Those from Kelantan and Terengganu will gather at the Sogo shopping complex while those from Pahang, Selangor and Kuala Lumpur will assemble at Dataran Merdeka and Kg Baru.

Masjid Negara will be where folks from Kedah, Perak, Perlis and Penang converge while Masjid Jamek is the location for those from Malacca, Negri Sembilan and Johor.

#DaulatHimpunan 812 rally organiser Gerakan Pembela Ummah (Ummah) is targeting a 500,000-strong crowd this afternoon.

Among the many attending are 15 Malay rights groups, including the Sungai Petani-based Badar Squad, which recently made headlines for its anti-khalwat raids.

Squad founder Azhar Mohamad told The Malaysian Insight that he and his fellow members started their journey south to Kuala Lumpur at 11.30pm last night.

“We came in a convoy. Five of our members arrived earlier to sort out the logistics for our group,” he said.

Red Shirts leader Jamal Md Yunos said his group was mobilising 35,000 members for the rally.

Perak Umno chief Saarani Ahmad said he was also bringing some 35,000 party members, adding that the government could not be trusted to reject ICERD, given its tendency to flip-flop.

“We have almost 2,000 branches in Perak. Each branch is sending 20 representatives. We are attending voluntarily. Many are driving here while others are coming by ETS (electric train service) or bus. Some have chartered buses,” Saarani said.

Johor Umno secretary Samsol Bari Jamali said more than 2,000 party members from the southern state will be at the rally.

“Most of us are driving up on our own expense,” he said.

Meanwhile, Johor PAS commissioner Abdullah Hussein is expecting 5,000 to 6,000 party members to join the rally.

Some were already in Kuala Lumpur while others were on their way, he said.

Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali and Pertubuhan Kebajikan Dakwah Islamiah (Pekida) president Jamaludin Yusuf said their groups were not officially taking part in the rally, but their members were allowed to participate voluntarily.

A group of 300 silat exponents from around the country are also expected at the rally. They plan to present a memorandum to the king after Zohor prayers.

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and his PAS counterpart, Abdul Hadi Awang, are expected to lead the participants at Masjid Negara on its march to Dataran Merdeka.

Former prime minister Najib Razak had said he will take the LRT to the Masjid Jamek station before joining the march to Dataran Merdeka.

Lokman Noor Adam, who is president of pro-Umno group Pemantau Malaysia Baru, said the rally at Dataran Merdeka should take place from 3pm until 6pm, with political party and civil society leaders giving speeches.

The rally was called for after Putrajaya announced it would ratify the ICERD. However, it then backpedalled, and decided against ratifying the treaty after an outcry by Maly rights groups, who said it would strip Malays of their rights and threaten the position of Islam in the country. – December 8, 2018.