In Malaysia, hundreds march against under-fire anti-graft chief Azam Baki
- Black-clad protesters gathered in the suburban district of Bangsar outside Kuala Lumpur after police sealed off roads and metro stations in the commercial and cultural hub
- Despite the protest, the government has signalled that a Securities Commission probe of Azam Baki’s share-trading row exonerates him – though critics suggest otherwise
More than 200 people from Malaysian civil society groups and opposition parties on Saturday staged a protest on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur demanding that the country’s under-fire graft chief step down, defying a massive police presence and warning that the gathering was illegal.
Protesters clad in black shirts marched along a short stretch of road on Jalan Bangsar and chanted slogans against Azam Baki, the influential chief commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) who is currently embroiled in a share-trading controversy.
Many carried placards calling for the 58-year-old official to resign and chanted slogans that labelled Azam as a thief.
While there was a heavy police presence – the force had earlier indicated it was deploying 1,000 officers – the demonstration took place without incident.
Protesters were also seen carrying the flags of the country’s main opposition parties, including the Democratic Action Party, the Parti Keadilan Rakyat led by national opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and Pejuang – the new party founded by elder statesman Mahathir Mohamad.