Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad joined an anti-government Bersih 4.0 protest rally in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, calling for prime minister Najib Razak's resignation.
"I am here to support the people. This is not about the Chinese or Indians or Malays. This is not about Umno, BN, PAS, DAP or whatever. This is about the feelings of the people," Mohamad said in a speech to tens of thousands of protesters gathered on second day of country wide protest, according to The Strait Times.
Mohamad termed embattled Prime Minister Razak a corrupt leader, saying that Malaysians must show people's power to remove him.
"The only way for the people to get back to the old system is for them to remove this prime minister. And to remove him, the people must show people's power. The people as a whole do not want this kind of corrupt leader," he said.
Bersih 4.0, an electoral reform group, is a leading series of protests in capital Kuala Lumper, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching cities over this weekend.
Tens of thousands of anti government protesters gathered Saturday in Kuala Lumpur, calling for Razak's resignation.
Police in Kuala Lumper claimed that nearly 25,000 people participated in Bersih 4.0 protest rallies on Saturday, while organizers claimed that more than 200,000 took part, BBC News reported. The organisers expect 300,000 people to take part in the final rally on Sunday night.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Sunday slammed Bersih 4.0 organizers for not being concerned with people's welfare.
"There might have been 20,000 people at the rally, as reported by some media, but I am sure only 20,000 are a little dissatisfied. The rest of the Malaysian population are with the government," the embattled Malaysian premier said, according to The Star.
Najib Razak has been under pressure over recent revelations that $700 million was transferred to his personal bank accounts from the state-owned 1MDB fund, as HNGN previously reported.
The #Bersih hashtag has taken social media by storm in last two days.
Today is a important day for Malaysia - we have support in high places! #bersih4malaysia #bersih pic.twitter.com/OpXFOW438A
— Josil Murray (@JosilMurray) August 29, 2015
The Bersih movement ought to be recorded in future Sejarah textbooks. It is the biggest multiracial cause of Malaysians. — Hannah Yeoh (@hannahyeoh) August 29, 2015
I agree with #bersih not because of Anwar,I agree bacause rakyat has to show their voices thru this.dont get me wrong. #2.6b #nothing2hide
— Intan Maizura (@intanmaizura80) August 29, 2015
The day is almost over, Bersih is still going on, the streets and people are safe. M'sia has not gone up in flames. Peace & love, guys. — Erna Mahyuni (@ernamh) August 29, 2015
Even Tun M also join bersih 4.0 ? And if DS Najib won't let go of his position, i don't know what to say.
— Aiman Afiff (@AimanAfiff) August 29, 2015
