SG BAKAP BY-ELECTION | Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli today said organisers of the “Rakyat Lawan Anwar” rally in Putrajaya are free to exercise their right to protest.
Rafizi said it wouldn’t be a problem even if they wanted to protest in front of his cat.
“As a member of the Madani government administration, I feel that it’s everyone’s right (to protest).
“If they want to protest in front of my cat, they can protest, I don’t think there’s a problem,” he said during a press conference in Sungai Bakap, Penang.
Rafizi, who is no stranger to anti-government protests during the tenure of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak, stressed that everyone has a right to oppose any government of the day but must abide by the country’s laws and regulations.
Rafizi was responding to a question over the rally organised by Perikatan Nasional-linked group Pergerakan Demi Negara near Seri Perdana, the official residence of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, with main demands surrounding a need to tackle the rising costs of living.
Demi Negara chairperson Aidil Yunus, known as “YB Viral”, said the movement’s eight demands include lowering diesel prices, addressing the cost of living, improving the working conditions of government healthcare workers, and providing equal allocations for all elected representatives.
Commenting on the high cost of living, Rafizi said that the issue is not exclusively happening in Malaysia but has taken centre stage in every ongoing election across the globe.
“Indeed, it’s a global issue. In elections everywhere, we now have several major elections around the world.
“We have elections in the United States, we have elections in the UK, we have elections in France,” he said
In all three elections, he said the rising cost of living became the primary deciding issue, as the world is still looking to balance post-pandemic economic effects.
“So, while it’s not something that can be quickly conveyed for understanding, I believe there are several things that will ultimately allow people to appreciate that the matters and actions taken by the current federal government will put the country and society on the right track for us to address the challenges of the cost of living,” he said. - Mkini
