KUALA LUMPUR:Protesters display placards during a rally organized by Muslim politiciansagainst the signing of the UN anti-discrimination convention (ICERD) at MerdekaSquare in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.-AFP

KUALA LUMPUR:
Tens of thousands of banner-waving Muslims rallied in the Malaysian capital
Saturday to defend their long-cherished privileges, at a time of growing racial
tensions in the multi-ethnic country. About 55,000 people dressed in white
flooded a historic square in downtown Kuala Lumpur, according to police,
chanting "God is great" and brandishing banners that read "Long
live the Malays".

Large numbers of
police were on the streets and major roads were closed for the event, which was
the first major rally since Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad won a shock
election victory in May and toppled the scandal-mired old regime.

Race and religion
are sensitive in Malaysia, which is home to sizeable ethnic Chinese and Indian
communities, and the Muslim Malay majority appears to be feeling increasingly
insecure under a new government that is more representative of minorities.

The rally was
originally intended as a protest against a plan by the government to ratify a
UN convention which aims to eliminate racial discrimination. Authorities
abandoned the plan after opposition from conservative politicians and Malays,
who feared the treaty could erode their privileged position in society. But
Muslim groups pushed ahead with Saturday's demonstration, which-alongside the
convention-became about the bigger issue of defending Islam and decades-old
affirmative action policies that benefit Malays.

"If Islam is
disturbed, is race is disturbed, if our rights are disturbed, then we will
rise," opposition leader Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, whose United Malays National
Organization (UMNO) party was ousted at this year's election, told the
gathering. Participant Arif Hashim, 26, told AFP that other races must not
"challenge the rights of the Malays. As a Muslim, I want Islam to be the
first (priority) in Malaysia."

Ousted party in
crisis

Among those
attending was disgraced ex-premier Najib Razak, who has been arrested and
charged over the scandal surrounding state fund 1MDB since losing power in May.
Police said the gathering passed off peacefully and the crowds dispersed in the
late afternoon. Malays-who make up some 60 percent of the country's 32 million
people-have for decades enjoyed substantial state benefits, such as financial
handouts and help getting government jobs.

Critics argue the
system has been abused by a corrupt elite and is in urgent need of reform,
although there is no indication Mahathir's administration is about to make
major changes in such a sensitive area. UMNO-which ruled Malaysia at the head
of a coalition for six decades until its election defeat-was a major backer of
the rally, with analysts saying it was using the event to divert attention from
its troubles.

The party, long a
champion of the Malays, has been engulfed in scandal and infighting since being
ousted. As well as Najib, new leader Ahmad Zahid has been charged with
corruption. Policies favoring Malays were introduced after riots between
members of the Malay and Chinese communities in 1969 that left nearly 200
people dead. - AFP