The Citizens’ Declaration group mooted by Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohammad and the Opposition has now been officially renamed the Save Malaysia movement and hopes to obtain hundreds of thousands to sign an online petition calling for the prime minister’s removal.
The movement comprising UMNO/Barisan Nasional (BN) veterans, opposition leaders and human rights activists led by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad also decided at their first meeting Wednesday, that a signature drive would commence this month in Johor, Kedah, Sabah and Terengganu, according to PKR vice-president Chua Tian Chang who was also present at the meeting.
“There will be a roadshow around the country and this collection of signatures will continue,” added Tian Chua.
Tian Chua claimed that, Johor, Kedah, Sabah and Terengganu are key states that have seen dissent within UMNO against the current administration. Among the most prominent signatories of the Citizens’ Declaration included former deputy prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who comes from Johor and former Kedah mentri besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir.
UMNO vice-president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, who hails from Sabah, has also expressed his support for the Citizens’ Declaration although he has yet to sign it. In Terengganu where BN holds power, former mentri besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Said recently tabled at the state legislative assembly a motion of no confidence against his successor Datuk Seri Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman, but it was rejected by the Speaker.
Chua said that the, Save Malaysia movement are hopeful to get former civil servants and more civil society groups to sign their petition. A secretariat responsible for the online signature campaign has also been formed.
Tian Chua who is PKR’s Batu MP however said the Save Malaysia movement did not discuss who should replace Datuk Seri Najib Razak as prime minister, stressing that the group would continue pressing Najib’s successor for reforms.
“We don’t decide who to replace ― that’s not our place to decide. It’s very clear that it should be Parliament that decides,” said Tian Chua.
According to Tian Chua, the meeting on Wednesday, was chaired by Dr Mahathir and included leaders from various opposition parties like Lim Kit Siang (DAP), Datuk Mahfuz Omar (PAS), Salahuddin Ayub (Amanah), as well as Mukhriz, former MCA president Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik, former Umno minister Tan Sri Sanusi Junid, and activists Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan and Bersih 2.0 chair Maria Chin Abdullah.
One of the attendee who attended the meeting said on condition of anonymity, that the group decided to officially named “Save Malaysia” and that it planned to get hundreds of thousands to sign their petition.
Another source also confirmed the name change and said the Save Malaysia movement is hopeful to get as many signatures “as we can possibly get”.
Meanwhile a spokesman for the group claimed that the online version of the Citizens’ Declaration, requires signatories to state their MyKad numbers on a Google Form, had already attracted about 25,000 signatories.
Dr Mahathir is expected to announce the outcome of the Save Malaysia movement’s meeting Wednesday on his blog sometime Friday.