The “Dakwa Zahid” rally yesterday lacked fervour due to the confusion in what Gerakan Selamatkan Malaysia was demanding out of the protest. The gathering witnessed the Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) inadequacy when it did not incorporate religious and ethnic sentiments in mobilising its ardent supporters.

The group’s three primary demands were a retrial of Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’ 47 graft charges, the separation of attorney-general and public prosecutor powers, and justice under the law for the people of Malaysia.

The confusion among rally participants became evident when banners related to currency values, such as “1 USD: RM4.68,” were raised alongside speeches by PN leaders about cost-of-living issues and international investors fleeing Malaysia. Several PAS leaders also quoted Quranic verses excessively, even though the context of these verses did not have correlation to the demand to have Zahid prosecuted again. Chanting “takbir” after almost every speech seemed to be an attempt to exploit religious sentiments rather than addressing the issue at hand.

Furthermore, the call for a “referendum,” as attempted by Wan Ahmad Fahysal after the recent state elections in six states, did not become a highlight. Instead, “Reformati” was chanted without leaving much impact on the participants. This irony lies in the fact that almost every chant at the assembly resembled the slogans of Pakatan Harapan (PH) prior to the fall of the Najib administration in 2018. No fresh ideas from PN. Such a copycat!

What resonated clearly, however, was the urgent call to decouple the attorney-general and public prosecutor roles, assigning different individuals to each. This separation would allow political matters to be referred to the attorney-general, while prosecutorial matters would fall under the purview of the public prosecutor. Such a move aligns with the PH manifesto from previous general elections and is seen as a critical step toward enhancing transparency and accountability within the Malaysian legal system.

While the rally may have faltered in terms of clarity and impact, the resounding demand for the institutional separation signifies a growing sentiment for reform within Malaysia’s legal framework. Nevertheless, people need to know, that there were flaws in Zahid’s prosecution and the attorney-general knew exactly what he had been doing before he came to the verdict. – September 17, 2023. 

* Mohamad Shafiq bin Sahruddin and Sakhril Marat read The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.