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1st LD: Malaysian PM slams opposition for plotting anti-gov't rallies

Xinhua, November 18, 2016 Adjust font size:

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak slammed the opposition Friday for plotting rallies against the government.

The opposition parties have used purportedly non-partisan non-governmental organization (NGO) to put pressure on the government, instead of exercising their rights to criticize through proper channels, Najib said in a post on his personal website.

Bersih, a group calling for clean elections and governance, has planned a rally in downtown Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. Previous rallies organized by the group have seen clashes with the police.

The Malaysian prime minister said the group was actually a "puppet" of the opposition, as almost all the rallies it had held and wanted to hold were led by leaders of opposition parties.

He further pointed out the rally would just be movement of opposition parties hiding behind a so-called non-partisan NGO to fight the government.

A pro-government group also planned rallies alongside Bersih on Saturday, raising concerns of potential clashes. Police said neither group had obtained permission from city hall to hold the rallies, and that some 7,000 officers would be deployed for the rallies.

Police raid the office of Bersih on Friday and arrested its leader Maria Chin Abdullah and a senior member, the group said via social media. Local media reported that the arrests were related to the foreign funding received by the group. Authorities earlier warned the organizers of the rallies to call off the rallies. Enditem