KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Police fired water cannons at ethnic Malays who turned unruly Wednesday at a pro-government rally that many fear has the potential to provoke racial trouble in this multiethnic nation with large Chinese and Indian minorities.
The rally — a collection of several marches that converged on a central field near Parliament — was ostensibly called to emphasize the dominance of Malays in Malaysia, as well as to support the government of Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is under pressure to resign over a $700 million financial scandal. But the rally is also being seen as a challenge to the Chinese and Indians, who had gathered in large numbers in an anti-Najib rally on Aug. 29 and 30.
Unlike that rally, which was banned by the police, the Malay parade on Wednesday was allowed to go ahead by authorities, albeit with a warning that the demonstrators would not be allowed to carry banners or posters with racial overtones.
“I am here to defend Malay dignity and dominance,” said Rahamah Abdul Majid, one of the protesters. “We must not let others take over our country.”
Other demonstrators blew horns and chanted “Long live the Malays.” Some carried banners that read, “People unite to defend the government of the people’s choice.”
Most of the thousands of red-shirted protesters taking part in the rally demonstrated peacefully at the grounds near Parliament. But a small group threw plastic bottles at police and tried to push their way through barricades into Kuala Lumpur’s Chinatown, shouting “This is Malay land.” Riot police retaliated by firing chemical-laced water from a fire truck.
The rally included Cabinet members and leaders from Najib’s ruling United Malays National Organization, or UMNO party, the dominant group in the ruling coalition that has held power since independence in 1957.
