Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07KUALALUMPUR1613
2007-11-13 11:41:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Cable title:  

MALAYSIA'S OPPOSITION DRAWS TENS OF THOUSANDS TO

Tags:  PGOV PREL PINR KISL KDEM ASEC MY 
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VZCZCXRO4603
PP RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHKL #1613/01 3171141
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 131141Z NOV 07
FM AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0226
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RHHMUNA/USCINCPAC HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KUALA LUMPUR 001613 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/MTS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/13/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR KISL KDEM ASEC MY
SUBJECT: MALAYSIA'S OPPOSITION DRAWS TENS OF THOUSANDS TO
THE STREETS FOR ELECTORAL REFORM

REF: A. KUALA LUMPUR 1604 - OPPOSITION AND POLICE HEADED

FOR SHOWDOWN

B. KUALA LUMPUR 1377 - RIOT IN TERENGGANU

Classified By: Classified By: Political Section Chief Mark D. Clark for
reasons 1.4 (b and d).

Summary
-------

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KUALA LUMPUR 001613

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/MTS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/13/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR KISL KDEM ASEC MY
SUBJECT: MALAYSIA'S OPPOSITION DRAWS TENS OF THOUSANDS TO
THE STREETS FOR ELECTORAL REFORM

REF: A. KUALA LUMPUR 1604 - OPPOSITION AND POLICE HEADED

FOR SHOWDOWN

B. KUALA LUMPUR 1377 - RIOT IN TERENGGANU

Classified By: Classified By: Political Section Chief Mark D. Clark for
reasons 1.4 (b and d).

Summary
--------------


1. (C) Malaysia's major opposition parties operating under
the election-reform umbrella organization BERSIH on November
10 carried out possibly the country's largest opposition
demonstration since 1998, gathering 20,000 or more
demonstrators to present an election reform petition to the
National Palace. Opposition leaders succeeded in getting
critical mass onto the streets despite frank warnings from
Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, the national police chief,
and others, and despite heavy rains at the time of the
protest. Embassy poloffs observed the demonstration from a
safe distance. Many of the demonstrators came from the
Islamist PAS party. While police completely cordoned off
Independence Square, they did not stop the crowds from
marching to the National Palace, where opposition leader
Anwar Ibrahim delivered their petition. Except for police
attempting to disburse participants at two assembly points
with water cannons and tear gas, the demonstration remained
peaceful as both sides avoided a repeat of the violence that
marred the September rally in Terengganu. While the protest
garnered international and Malaysian on-line press coverage,
Malaysia's government dominated news outlets downplayed the
demonstration and focused on disruption to traffic and local
commerce. Police arrested and later released about 25
demonstrators. Anwar Ibrahim and others oppositionists are
now considering a larger march to parliament in three weeks,
as well as petitions to individual Malay rulers. Opposition
parties and Anwar Ibrahim in particular can count the
November 10 demonstration as a tactical success that
reasserts their relevance, though it may not bring them

closer to further electoral reform. That Anwar and other
opposition leaders proceeded successfully in the face of PM
Abdullah's personal warnings should bolster the opposition's
resolve. For the same reason, the November 10 demonstration
might also result in a hardening of the government's position
when faced, as it seems it will be, with prospects for future
demonstrations which are viewed as a direct challenge to
government authority. End Summary.

Stern Warnings from PM; Police Deploy in Force
-------------- -


2. (U) Ahead of the November 10 election reform/opposition
rally by Malaysia's three major opposition parties and civil
society groups under the banner of the group BERSIH, the
Prime Minister, the Inspector General of Police Musa Hassan,
and other senior officials issued frank warnings that
authorities would take stern action against participants in
the "illegal" gathering. BERSIH called for a 100,000
demonstrators to gather in Kuala Lumpur on November 10 to
demand electoral reforms in the run-up to the next national
election (ref A). In his November 9 closing speech at the
United Malays National Organization (UMNO) annual assembly,
on the eve of the demonstration, Abdullah said people should
reject street demonstrations and instead effect change
through the polls. He called the planned march illegal
because it lacked a police permit and constituted a threat to
law and order. Abdullah described the organizers as
"stubborn" and said, "Are they trying to challenge the
Government and leadership? What they are actually
challenging and casting aside is the law." He pointed out
that street demonstrations was not the "Malaysian way" and
that the "people want the country to always be stable and
peaceful." National police chief Musa Hassan advised people
in no uncertain terms to stay clear of the rally as there was
risk of rioting and "harsh action" would be taken against
those participating. Meanwhile police deployed in force in
Kuala Lumpur, manning road blocks at key arteries for several
days prior to the demonstration.

Thousands defy police and weather to march
--------------


3. (SBU) Beginning on November 9, some 4000 police,
firefighters (with water cannons),RELA (public order
auxilliaries),and Federal Reserve Units (FRU, Malaysia's
riot police) deployed to the various locations with the
heaviest concentration in and around Merdeka (Independence)
Square, the announced gathering point for the demonstration.

KUALA LUMP 00001613 002 OF 003


By November 10, security forces had completely cordoned off
the square. The rally organizers identified at least four
nearby alternate sites for participants to assemble. The
four selected sites can hold thousands of people and are
easily accessible by public transportation. Despite road
blocks, interruption of public transportation, and a
torrential rain, large crowds wearing yellow attire (a color
chosen by BERSIH, in part because of its identification with
the King) began to form at the staging areas in advance of
the planned 3 pm start.


4. (SBU) By 2 pm, thousands of demonstrators were gathered
at the two assembly areas closest to Merdeka Square, Masjid
Jamek, a central hub along Kuala Lumpur's metro, and Masjid
India, about 300 meters from Masjid Jamek, with the rally
scheduled to begin at 3pm. Around that time, FRU trucks and
personnel deployed water cannons on the crowds at both
locations, attempting to disperse the people. According to
some reports, about 800 people attempted to storm through the
police and managed to get within 50 meters of Merdeka Square
before police repelled the group with tear gas. Police
allegedly struck a small group of journalists with wood
batons; however, there was no other violence from either the
police or demonstrators.


5. (SBU) With Merdeka Square denied, the crowds in their
thousands moved to phase two, and converged on the National
Palace to symbolically hand over a petition to the King (who
was not in the Palace or in Kuala Lumpur at the time). The
police cordoned off the route and allowed the demonstrators
to proceed without confrontation. At the palace gates,
police told the rally organizers that they could not make
speeches, but could deliver a memo and asked them to do so
quickly. Organizers responded that they needed to wait for
Anwar Ibrahim, de facto leader of the Peoples' Justice Party
(PKR) and former Deputy Prime Minister, to arrive to deliver
the petition. Anwar arrived shortly before 4 pm, and joined
fellow opposition leaders Hadi Awang, from the Islamic Party
of Malaysia (PAS),and Lim Kit Siang, opposition leader in
Parliament from the Democratic Action Party (DAP) in
delivering the memo to a palace official through bars of the
palace gate. The petition called for four electoral reforms:
the use of indelible ink (already agreed to by the Election
Commission),a cleanup of electoral rolls, abolition of
domestic absentee "postal" votes, and fair access to the
media. The senior police commander on the scene then asked
the organizers to disperse the crowd within five minutes or
police would take action. The demonstrators complied without
incident and the demonstration drew to a close.


6. (SBU) In total, the demonstration lasted approximately
two hours from the time the police used water cannons until
the demonstrators began disbanding at the National Palace
shortly after 4 pm. From first-hand Embassy observations,
interviews with demonstrators, and on-line media coverage,
the Islamist opposition party PAS appeared to contribute the
largest number of protesters, with PAS divisions in other
states having organized attendance from their ranks. In all,
we estimate that some 20,000 to 35,000 demonstrators gathered
at the Palace and the margins of Merdeka Square, while
opposition leaders put total attendance at 40,000. By any of
these estimates, this was the largest political demonstration
in Malaysia since 1998 street protests over the sacking and
arrest of Anwar Ibrahim, with the possible exception of a
protest over toll price hikes in 2000.


7. (SBU) During the course of the demonstration, police
stated that they detained some 245 individuals, including 18
minors. Police held 25 of the protestors for questioning,
but had released all by November 12.

Government Controlled Press Downplays Demonstration
-------------- --------------


8. (SBU) Although international news organizations, domestic
online news portal Malaysiakini, and the local blogging
community extensively covered the demonstration, Malaysia's
government dominated print and electronic media gave scant
mention to the rally. BERSIH officials claimed the
Ministries of Information and Internal Security directed
local news organizations to not report on the demonstrations,
highlighting the need for free access to the media. Most of
the government controlled news outlets reported that only
4000 people participated in the demonstration and focused
their coverage on disruption of businesses and traffic.
Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin engaged in a spat with
an Al Jazeera reporter during an on-the-air radio interview,
in which he strongly criticized Al Jazeera's coverage that

KUALA LUMP 00001613 003 OF 003


highlighted police use of the water cannon, describing the
reporting as "biased, unfair, and confusing to people living
overseas." He stated the coverage gave the impression that
the police were violent when they actually took minimum
action to control the crowd. With some evident irritation,
Zainuddin added that Malaysia is a democracy, not like Burma.

Government After-Action Criticism
--------------


9. (SBU) Commenting the day after the rally, Prime Minister
Abdullah said the BERSIH demonstration was an attempt to
"trap" the royalty into opposition politics. Malaysia's
largely ceremonial and apolitical King, Mizan Zainal Abidin,
did not comment. Other UMNO leaders joined in the criticism.
De facto Law Minister Nazri Aziz said the gathering was a
ploy by the opposition to create an excuse for their imminent
defeat at the polls. Minister of International Trade and
Industry Rafidah Aziz described the demonstration "as a waste
of time" as no one including foreign investors took the
protestors seriously. Police officials warned of legal
action against those protestors who endangered their children
by bringing them to the illegal gathering.

Opposition's Next Steps
--------------


10. (SBU) Opposition leaders described the November 10
demonstration as a "huge success" despite the restrictions
and the threats from authorities, and stated that as a next
step they would consider petitioning all nine Malay rulers to
support their call for election reform. PAS president Hadi
Awang noted that PAS will "proceed with appropriate action"
if demands for changes to the electoral system are not met.
Anwar Ibrahim stated the street demonstration was the right
means to send a strong message to "a weak and corrupt
government." He encouraged BERSIH to organize a "March of
200,000 to parliament" in three weeks to protest the
"corruption, mismanagement, and cruelty" of the present
government.

Comment
--------------


11. (C) Despite harsh warnings, the government had a clear
interest in avoiding an incident on November 10 that would
boost the credibility of the opposition parties. The
international media's initial headlines played up the police
use of the water cannon, but except in that instance both the
police and rally participants demonstrated discipline in
keeping the large protest peaceful. Police did not act to
prevent the crowds from reaching the palace, though police
had many assets in the area. When given the directive to
disperse after delivering their petition, opposition leaders
had an opportunity to create an incident; instead, they
decided to disband peacefully. The November 10 events
contrast with the mishandling of the September rally in
Terengganu, when use of force by the police on an unapproved
BERSIH rally precipitated a riot (ref B).


12. (C) Opposition parties can count the November 10
demonstration as an important tactical success, with a
turnout in the tens of thousands that exceeded most
expectations, given the government's robust warnings and
banning of the event, the heavy security presence and
torrential rains. This does not mean that the electoral
reforms called for are more probable; in particular, fair
access to the media is a systemic issue not likely to be
addressed any time soon. On a more partisan political level,
opposition parties demonstrated their relevance with the
large turnout that attracted international attention. Anwar
Ibrahim appeared to act as the protest's most prominent
leader, as evidenced by the key role he played at the Palace
gates. This will provide no comfort to UMNO leaders, who
tend to worry about Anwar's drawing power on the streets.
That Anwar and other opposition leaders proceeded
successfully in the face of PM Abdullah's personal warnings
should bolster the opposition's resolve and embolden them to
plan further events. For the same reason, the November 10
demonstration might also result in a hardening of the
government's position when faced, as it seems it will be,
with prospects for another major street demonstration and a
further public challenge to governmental authority.
KEITH