Anwar faces hypocrisy claims as Malaysian civil servants warned off protest
The chief secretary told state employees that attending the protest would go against the National Principles of loyalty to king and country
The “Turun Anwar” (Anwar Resign) demonstration is the first mass rally that directly challenges the prime minister, whose reform movement once popularised street protests in the country against his rivals.
While the federal constitution guarantees the right to free speech and assembly, the Attorney General’s Chamber warned Malaysia’s civil servants that “these rights are not absolute”.
“Accordingly, any public gathering is also subject to the requirement to comply with existing laws, including specific instructions issued by the authorities including instructions by the chief secretary to civil servants,” it said in a statement on Wednesday.
The warning follows a comment by the government’s Chief Secretary Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar on Sunday, saying that the attendance of state employees went against the National Principles, a set of five ideals formulated as a response to the 1969 racial riots.