Malaysians gather in capital, demand reform, PM’s ouster

The Punch 

Thousands of Malaysians streamed into central Kuala Lumpur on Saturday to call for the prime minister’s ouster over corruption allegations and demand broader reforms, spurning warnings by police who have declared the rally illegal.
Ordinary citizens converged on the capital’s historic heart, many of them defiantly wearing the yellow t-shirts — banned by the government — of Malaysia’s leading pro-reform movement for the beginning of a planned two-day rally.

But early arrivals were encountering roadblocks set up at key points and manned by a heavy security presence determined to thwart plans for an overnight occupation of the capital’s central Independence Square.

Members of Prime Minister Najib Razak’s ministers have admitted he received nearly $700 million in mysterious deposits into his personal bank accounts starting in 2013.

The revelation, brought to light by the Wall Street Journal last month, has angered many Malaysians, including members of Najib’s ruling party, already fed up with recurring government graft scandals.
“We want to show Najib that a lot of people don’t want him,” said Sheila Devaraj, 58, a retired school teacher.

Echoing the concerns of many, she complained of rising prices, worries over economic growth and the nation’s plummeting currency.
“The (Najib) scandal is an insult that adds to all our sufferings,” she said, dressed in yellow.