KUALA LUMPUR — Tens of thousands of ethnic Malays wearing red shirts demonstrated support on Wednesday for Prime Minister Najib Razak's scandal-hit government at a rally in Kuala Lumpur that stoked fears of racial tensions in the Southeast Asian nation. Supporters from over 200 Malay organizations marched through the city, calling for unity among the majority Muslim Malay population and denouncing ethnic Chinese opposition party leaders. Many demonstrators also held banners declaring support for Najib, who is battling against allegations of graft and financial mismanagement at indebted state fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB). The Malay demonstration brought business to a standstill in downtown Kuala Lumpur, as shops and businesses, especially in Chinese-dominated neighborhoods, were shuttered, and several roads were closed to traffic. By 3:30 p.m. (0730 GMT), police said 30,000 protesters were on the streets, but they expected many more to gather on open ground near the center of the city for the climax of the rally. There was no violence reported, though a Reuters witness saw police holding back a few thousand “red shirts” trying to break through barricades at the city's old Chinatown neighborhood. Riot police were standing by in case clashes broke out. There were unconfirmed reports that some protesters were detained. The organizers called the “red shirt” demonstration in response to a massive protest held over two days last month that called for Najib's resignation over the graft scandal. They say the anti-government protesters, who had worn yellow shirts, at the rally organized by Berish — a pro-democracy group — had been mainly ethnic Chinese, and had insulted the country's Malay leaders. “Long live Malays,” said one banner, while another said “Don't look down and insult the Malays.” The Malaysian government warned the organizers to avoid racial slurs and slogans that could raise tensions. Delivering a speech in the eastern state of Sabah to commemorate the formation of the Malaysia federation in 1963, Najib warned of the dangers of polarization. “It is not right to organize rallies dominated by one race, with the expressed aim of toppling the government,” state-run Bernama news agency quoted him as saying. “As we have seen, this then leads to rallies by other races. This could not be more dangerous and risks tearing apart the fabric of our democracy, our harmony, our unity.” Haunted by memories of deadly race riots in 1969, ethnicity and religion are extremely sensitive issues in a country where Malays make up about 60 percent of the 30 million population, Chinese about 25 percent and Indians about 7 percent. Since independence from British colonial rule in 1957, Malaysia has been governed by multi-ethnic coalitions led by UMNO. In the 2013 election, Chinese voters deserted the coalition, and the opposition won the popular vote. Yet, regardless of what the “red shirts” say, some of the strongest calls for Najib's ouster have come from fellow Malays, and there are clear signs of splits in UMNO. Veteran former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who led Malaysia and UMNO for more than two decades until his retirement in 2003, has been at the forefront of the campaign against Najib, and participated in the Bersih protest. — Reuters
