PETALING JAYA: While organisers of the #Turun protest in front of the Sogo shopping mall on July 23 claim it was successful and demonstrated the people’s frustration, not everyone agrees that street protests are effective to achieve the desired response from the government.
Universiti Malaya students, some of whom said they disagreed with the protest, told theSun the protesters do not represent all of them or the public at large.
Muhammad Tarmizi, 23, said Malaysians cannot expect things to be as comfortable as it was before the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war.
“The fact is that the global supply chain problems and rising prices are partly due to the Covid-19 pandemic. China, being the world’s second-largest economy, also saw its manufacturers shut down. That added to the supply chain problem facing the world. We cannot blame our government entirely for it.”
The third-year Finance student also said the situation worsened with the Ukraine conflict because Russia is the world’s largest wheat exporter and the war disrupted supplies.
“I agree there has been a price increase. But rather than pointing fingers at the government, shouldn’t students play an active role in finding a solution rather than just creating a ruckus?”
On the call for the government to continue subsidy payments, Muhammad Tarmizi said the people should stop being too dependent on the government.
“If we don’t like the government, we should stop depending on it for financial handouts and our livelihood. It would be easier for us to change the government if we don’t depend on it.”
Another student, Sarah Lim, 22, said cutting the salaries of Cabinet ministers would not solve anything.
“It may be a nice gesture or a symbolic one, but it would not change the situation we are facing now.”
Lim added that every time street protests and public gatherings were organised, they did not bring about effective change.
“So, I do not agree that taking our problems to the streets would help.”
However, Undi18 cofounder Nur Qyira Yusri said she believes the #Turun protest managed to get the attention of the government.
“Our action did not fall on deaf ears. We needed to mobilise and empower the people to speak up. We did exactly that for the #Turun protest, and at all past ones too.
“The fact that the government is using the police to intimidate and investigate our activists under Section 9(5) of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 shows that we are being taken seriously.”
Nur Qyira said she perceives police reaction toward the protest as an act of intimidation to keep the people quiet.
“My goal is to ensure Malaysians have a platform for their voices to be heard, especially beyond social media. What is concerning is that even on social media, citizens can get into trouble under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which prescribes a maximum fine of RM50,000 or a jail term not exceeding one year, or both.”
The youth advocate said when the public is not allowed to freely voice their objections to an issue, either online or offline, without being investigated for contravening one law or another, they have little choice but to do so through public protests.
On whether she agreed that the #Turun protest affected businesses around the rally location, Nur Qyira said many of the protesters went to the Sogo mall and nearby shops afterwards to have a drink and their lunch, so the shops benefited from the gathering.
