Students protest the rising cost of living on New Year's Eve

KUALA LUMPUR: As any other New Year’s Eve celebration in Kuala Lumpur, Dataran Merdeka was jam-packed with people who were there to usher in the New Year and to enjoy the live performances that have been organised there for years without fail.

But this year, the situation was a little bit different. A call by Gerakan Turun Kos Sara Hidup (TURUN), Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia (SMM), Jingga 13 and Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) saw thousands gathering there as well, but for a different reason.

By 10:30pm, groups of people wearing black had gathered all around Dataran Merdeka to protest the rising cost of living, and although there was a police barricade, by 11:20pm, the people had managed to push their way into the square where the live performances were being held.

After seeing the disruption, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) decided to call off the celebrations. As time approached midnight, KL Mayor, Datuk Seri Ahmad Phesal Talib, took to the stage to address the crowd in an attempt to keep the situation peaceful.

Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia (SMM) chairman, Mohd Bukhairy Sofian, said that their intention for gathering at Dataran Merdeka was not an attempt to overthrow the government but to express the anger of the people over the rising cost of living in the country.

He added it was apt that the youth and students are leading this movement as they are the ones who are suffering the most since they are not working and are solely relying on student loans and the support of their parents.

After singing and chanting protest slogans for a while, the group of approximately 3,000 dispersed peacefully at around 1am. The authorities had earlier warned against the gathering from happening as it would be considered an illegal one.