Police should be praised for success in controlling Red Shirt rally

The police should be praised for their ability to control the situation during the 'Himpunan Rakyat Bersatu' at the federal capital Wednesday, said International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed.

"The gathering involved the Malays who had come out to state their support to the government under the administration of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and there were also many UMNO members as well as non-governmental organisations (NGOs) who turned up.

"The gathering was held in a controlled manner and the police should be given praise for their success in controlling the situation," the UMNO Supreme Council Member told reporters after having a meeting with Bumiputera chambers of commerce and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), Thursday.

Meanwhile, the secretary-general of the Malay Consultative Council (MPM) Datuk Dr Hasan Mad, who was also present at the media conference, said the rally was not racist in nature as claimed by certain quarters.

Held at the Padang Merbok in the federal capital, the rally led by the Persekutuan Silat Kebangsaan (Pesaka) was organised as a protest to the Bersih 4 gathering held around the Dataran Merdeka on Aug 29 and 30.