‘Rules for thee’: is Malaysia’s Anwar being hypocritical about rallies?

The chief secretary told state employees that attending the protest would go against the National Principles of loyalty to king and country

Malaysia’s civil servants have been warned of possible disciplinary action if they join a protest on Saturday calling for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s resignation, as the opposition claims hundreds of thousands are being mobilised for the rally.

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.

Organised by the Islamist party PAS and the opposition, the rally calls for Anwar’s resignation over unfulfilled promises, alleging economic mismanagement and an authoritarian tilt, including his attempt to seek legal immunity from an accusation of sexual assault.

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.

“Every day, every week we recite the pledge, which is loyalty to king and country,” Shamsul Azri said. “Have you forgotten? So obey the king and country.”

As those principles are symbolic and do not have legal standing, or supersede the constitution, this apparent overreach caught the attention of social media users, who responded with derision to posts and articles about the chief secretary’s comment.

“[Anwar] used to assert the freedom of speech and assembly, but now it’s like the law can be simply erased and modified,” one wrote.

Others said it was a case of “rules for thee, not for me”, aimed at Anwar and his Pakatan Harapan coalition, which previously advocated for public demonstrations against the establishment.

Opposition leaders estimate up to 500,000 could attend the rally, though police expect closer to 15,000. Over 2,000 police officers are being mobilised to maintain the peace throughout the rally, which will march from four locations to the Independence Square in central Kuala Lumpur.

Anwar’s own words while he was leading the opposition have also been thrown back at him.

“The government can say what they want, but they cannot deny the right and power of the people to speak up,” said social media user Suhaimi Kassim. “That is what Anwar Ibrahim said as opposition leader to encourage people to protest.”

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