Tengku Adnan said a commotion could happen if 'crazy people' start throwing things at protesters at the Bersih 4 rally. ― Picture by Saw Siow Feng

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 ― Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor has compared the planned Bersih 4 rally tomorrow to the Low Yat riot, cautioning against the possibility of protesters marching under the influence of drugs, much like the suspects of the tech mall brawl incident.

“Don’t play with fire because, you play with fire, when the fire becomes big, then we have a problem,” the Umno minister popularly referred to as “Ku Nan” told Malay Mail Online in an interview at the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) headquarters here yesterday.

“At least Low Yat, we managed to contain even though we know the person who stole the phone is under the influence of drugs. This is the problem.

We don’t know who is going to walk. And some people might walk under the influence of other things,” the Federal Territories minister added.

According to Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, the alleged accomplice of the man accused of stealing a phone at Low Yat Plaza last month had tested positive for drugs. The phone theft had led to the racially-charged brawl that saw several people injured.

Tengku Adnan said a commotion could happen if “crazy people” start throwing things at protesters at the Bersih 4 rally, the overnight protest by polls reform group Bersih 2.0 that will kick off from 2pm in the city and several other venues tomorrow.

“When a commotion happens, what will happen, like what happened in Low Yat Plaza,” added Tengku Adnan, who is also Umno secretary-general.

He said the authorities will not allow protesters to sleep on the streets of Kuala Lumpur in the 34-hour rally.

“If [you] want to sleep in, go to the hotel and sleep lah. There’s a lot of budget hotels, a lot of five-star hotels if you have money.

“Not to sleep on the streets. We wouldn’t allow it because we have enough problems with the homeless already in Kuala Lumpur which we’re trying to solve,” said the minister.

Tengku Adnan claimed that the “silent majority” is bigger than those who are participating in the street demonstrations, dismissing protesters as “empty tins” that make the most noise.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed has similarly warned of anarchists who may provoke the police into using force against protesters at the Bersih 4 rally, while the Malaysian Armed Forces said they were on standby, expressing fears of a repeat of a recent Bangkok bombing in Malaysia. —