Malay Dignity Congress kicks off with thousands-strong crowd

(The Star) – Thousands of Malaysians consisting of university students, academicians, leaders and members of political parties have turned up for the Kongres Maruah Melayu (Malay Dignity Congress) at Stadium Malawati here on Sunday (Oct 6).

A sea of people clad in red were seen at the venue. Traffic was congested for about 1km from the stadium.

Security was tight at the entrance, with several uniformed police officers conducting checks on participants to ensure no illegal and dangerous items were smuggled into the venue.

The event’s chief executive Prof Emeritus Datuk Dr Zainal Kling kicked off the event with a fiery speech, speaking about the position of the Malays, the King, Malay privileges and the social contract.

Politicians from both sides of the divide were spotted, including Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu, Entrepreneur Development Minister Redzuan Yusof, Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Shahrudin Jamal and Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir.

Also seen were Khairy Jamaluddin, Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, Datuk Seri Hishamudin Hussein, Tan Sri Annuar Musa and Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor.

Prime Minister and Pakatan Harapan chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as well as PAS President Datuk Seri Dr Abdul Hadi Awang are expected to deliver respective speeches at the event.

The event was jointly organised by Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI), Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) and Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).

The organisers have since denied that they were used by parties to propagate political interests, saying that it only wants to unite the Malays.