ALL roads around Dataran Merdeka have been sealed off ahead of a youth-led protest in the city centre this morning demanding Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s resignation.

Organised by Sekretariat Solidariti Rakyat (SSR), a coalition of youth and civil society groups, they are also calling for a full parliamentary sitting and automatic loan moratorium to ease economic hardship caused by Covid-19 lockdowns.

Despite the roadblocks and police presence, around 80 youth dressed in black began gathering at the Masjid Jamek LRT since 10.30am.

By 11am, more than a hundred youth had gathered under the LRT tracks on Jalan Masjid.

Many are holding black flags as well as placards and banners with scathing slogans, such as and “Kita Mati Dalam Derhaka” (We’ll die treasonous) and “Kerajaan Pembunuh” (murderous government), in reference to the more than 8,000 deaths from Covid-19.

At 11.25am, the crowd which had swelled to around 500 people and started walking towards Dataran Merdeka while shouting slogans like “Hidup Rakyat” (Long live the people).

Some youth carried effigies wrapped in white cloth to symbolise Covid-19 victims. Five effigies were also placed on a road near Dataran Merdeka.

The Malaysian Bar and other civil society groups have sent monitoring teams and are providing free legal aid for protesters who may be arrested.

With the protest being held amid a Covid-19 pandemic, people are also expressing solidarity on social media.

Former Malaysian Bar president Ambiga Sreenevasan tweeted her full support for the rally.

“Allowing our youth the space to express themselves peacefully is upholding their constitutional rights. They are our future. They will inherit all the mistakes we make. They have a right to seek to correct them.”

Activist Marina Mahathir tweeted encouragement to the parents of the youth activists, telling them she understood their fears for their children’s safety.

“But they’re doing this for all of us. We should applaud them for their courage. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. We’re all standing in solidarity with them.”

SSR is the same group that earlier organised the black flag protest on social media as well as at Dataran Merdeka on July 17 to condemn the Perikatan Nasional government’s mishandling of the Covid-19 crisis.  

In the run-up to today’s rally, authorities started a crackdown on activists since July 25 by calling them in for questioning at police stations.

On Thursday evening, MISI Solidariti co-founder and secretary, 21-year-old Sarah Irdina was arrested under the Sedition Act 1948 and her home raided.

She was released after five hours at 12.30am on Friday as protesters held a vigil outside the Jinjang police station where she was held.

The hashtag #Lawan is currently trending on social media with updates and posts on the protest. – July 31, 2021.