When eating cake is a 'suspicious' activity

Eating cake appears to be "suspicious activity" for security personnel of Suria KLCC.

At least five security guards came to disperse a small group who congregated at the KLCC fountain today celebrate the first month anniversary of the Facebook group against the 100-storey Warisan Merdeka tower.

The individuals, who trickled in one by one at about 6pm barely managed to cut the cakes they brought, before a security officer asked them to disperse.

"You need management permission to do this," he said.

The fifteen present are among the 250,000-odd Malaysians who have joined the Facebook group formed in protest of the PNB tower announced by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak in his budget speech last month.

It is still unknown who the creator of the page is, while today's event, which occured in venues nationwide, was not centrally organised in any manner.

According to KLCC security manager who wanted to only be known as Zaini, the company does not have a policy against consuming food in front of the fountain.

"But if there is a big group, of about 10, we will monitor them for suspicious activity. What is important is the intent of the meeting.

"We are in the global spotlight so we need to maintain a good image," he said.

'I don't think it's a party'

Another plainclothes security personnel, who refused to be named, also harped on the intent and said: "With all these cameras and big tripods, I don't think it's a birthday party."

"My job is to observe and to ask people to disperse. The media is supposed to assist me, not go against me," he said, when Malaysiakini asked why he was harrassing the cake-eaters.

Several of the group, whose members declined to be named, left at first sight of the security officers.

Others, however, tried to light candles for the cakes in front of the shopping mall entrance mainly to escape the drizzle.

This did not go down well with the security personnel who asked them to continue at home.

He also was not happy when the group moved to a table at coffee shop Starbucks, and lamented that they did not order anything.

Zaini, the unnamed security personnel and five security guards had remained at Starbucks to watch over the group while the mostly twenty-somethings chatted over coffee.

Malaysians are scared

One participant who had came to "meet the administrators" told Malaysiakini that the small turnout is actually commendable, as it was organised so randomly.

"It's a Tuesday, a working day, and the eve of Hari Raya Haji but still people turned up.

"Malaysians are generally scared (to speak out), I mean look at (all the security personnel surrounding us). The turnout is actually good," said the student who declined to be named.

A Sarawakian participant who appeared to be in his 40s, said that he did not join the event to protest but "only to eat cake (because) different people express things in different ways".

"I am Sarawakian and there are many poor people in my state. I support good use of government funds, and this is project by a government-linked company, so it is actually by the government.

"Look around," he said, pointing to the skyscrapers surrouding the KLCC lake, "we have enough office space already."

None of those present owned up to being the creators of the Facebook page.

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