Kuala Lumpur: Tens of thousands of Malaysian Muslims have rallied in Kuala Lumpur against any attempt to strip the ethnic Malay majority of its privileges.

The rally on Saturday is the first massive street gathering since Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's alliance won a historic vote in May.

A protester covering his face takes a part in a rally to celebrate the government's move to withdraw plans to ratify a UN anti-discrimination convention in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. Credit:AP

The rally, backed by the country's two largest opposition Malay parties, was initially aimed at protesting a government plan to ratify a UN treaty against racial discrimination.

Critics say that ratifying the treaty would end Malay privileges under a decades-old affirmative action policy. The plan to ratify was eventually abandoned, but organisers decided to proceed with what they called a "thanksgiving" rally.