LIVE | Much of Kuala Lumpur has been blocked off to traffic as the authorities attempt to clamp down on a planned protest demanding action against MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki.
Malaysiakini reports from the ground.
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Reporting and photographs by Alyaa Alhadjri, Raveena Nagotra, B Nantha Kumar and Wan Irdina. Photographs also provided by Azneal Ishak.
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Protest ends peacefully with Negaraku
12.41pm: Protestors are dispersing after capping off the rally with a round of Negaraku.
Prior to this, the police were repeatedly reminding the crowd that the agreed-upon dispersal time was 12.15pm.
So far, it does not appear that any untoward incidents took place during the protest.
'Azam' shows up at rally
12.35pm: Bangsar LRT station - The crowd stops briefly for a brief skit where a man dressed in a mock MACC uniform is booed by the crowd.
Following this, the man in the mock uniform is symbolically "detained" by the crowd.
Spirits are high as authorities continue to keep watch.
The lead marshal issues repeated reminders to the crowd that they have exceeded the agreed dispersal time of 12.15pm.
The march continues
12.20pm: The crowd rises and, to the beat of marching drums, they follow instructions to walk back towards the Bangsar LRT station.
"If you want to selfie, please don't block the crowd," says a rally marshal in charge of keeping protesters in physically distanced formation.
He reminds the crowd that the police have issued a 12.15pm dispersal time.
During the brief sit-in protest, youth wing leaders of political parties took turns addressing the crowd.
They reiterated the call for the authorities to take action against MACC chief Azam Baki.
'Duduk dan bantah'
12.05pm - Jalan Travers - Riot police have formed a line at the edge of Jalan Travers, preventing protesters from proceeding further towards the direction of the National Mosque.
The protest, near the junction to Brickfields, currently consists of around 200 people. Protest organisers have agreed to not proceed further.
Instead, participants are asked to sit down as a sign of protest for 15 minutes.
The protest organisers plan to turn back towards Jalan Bangsar after the 15-minute "duduk dan bantah" (sit and protest) session.
Mostly young protesters
11.55am - Jalan Travers - The protest participants are predominantly young but there are also a handful of senior citizens. Among them is 65-year-old Bathmanathan.
“I think it is refreshing to see the youth come out and do this. My friend and I who came today were actually lamenting about how most of the youth in this country aren't aware of politics in this country.
"It’s refreshing and (my friend and I) can raise the average age of the protesters here," he said.
Bathmanathan lamented the government's "blatant" corruption.
“Things are so blatant right now, they (the government) are basically telling the rakyat they can do whatever they want.
"I think everybody needs to make a stand and I am here to do what I can," he said.
11.45am: There have been further engagements between the police and rally organisers as the march progresses along Jalan Travers.
Uniformed police personnel have requested for organisers to remove a Mitsubishi Triton truck which was being driven ahead of the protesters.
PKR Youth leader Ahmad Syukri Razab continues to lead the crowd with chants of "Tangkap Azam Baki".
Protesters in black on the march
11.45am: Jalan Travers - A group of protesters numbering around 150 are marching from Jalan Bangsar to Jalan Travers, about 1km away.
Among the participants is a 31-year-old woman who wanted to be known as Moori.
Moori said she decided to join the protest to demand justice.
“If there was justice we wouldn't be here, and it is a very wrong time because of the pandemic. If there was a choice I definitely would choose to not come out.
"I’m only here because I am sad and concerned because of the direction our country is going. This (corruption) has to be stopped," she said.
11.30am: Brickfields district police chief Amihizam Abdul Shukor engages with rally organiser representative Tarmizi Anuar.
Amihizam requests for the ongoing march, which consists of a few hundred protesters largely in black, to end in Brickfields.
Tarmizi, however, requested for them to be allowed to move to Masjid Negara.
Cops allow businesses to reopen
11.15am: Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman - The police finally allow businesses here to resume operations.
The police, which initially cordoned off the area, now allow workers into business premises.
However, only workers on foot and motorcycles are allowed to enter.
This road leads to the Sogo shopping mall which was the original venue of the #TangkapAzamBaki protest.
However, protesters have relocated to the Bangsar LRT after the cops obtained a court order banning demonstrations in the area.
More than 100 people had been waiting to enter the area since 9am, some to work while others to shop.
Protesters begin to march
11.13am: PKR Youth leader Ahmad Syukri Razab calls for the crowd to start marching away from the Bangsar LRT station.
Marshals from the organisers are seen coordinating the crowd.
Several red Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) trucks are seen on standby. The police watch as the crowd begins to move.
Protesters gather at Bangsar LRT station
11am: Some 100 protesters clad in black have gathered below the Bangsar LRT station by Menara UOA.
A group of police officers clad in bright yellow police jackets approached the protest coordinators.
They asked for the coordinators' personal information but did not obstruct the protest.
They left after recording their information.
In the past, cops have hauled up protest leaders only after the protest ends to avoid escalations.
One of the activists at the protest Mandeep Singh starts to lead protesters to chant "Tangkap Tangkap Azam Baki" (Arrest Azam Baki).
The protesters are beginning to fill into the main road on Jalan Bangsar.
10.40am: Businesses within a 1km radius from Dataran Merdeka are closed.
According to Astro Awani, they have been ordered to close due to a court order.
Yesterday, the police obtained a seven-day court order prohibiting protests at Dataran Merdeka, Sogo shopping mall, and Masjid Jamek in Kuala Lumpur.
This was in anticipation of the #TangkapAzamBaki protest.
10.30am: Bangsar LRT station - Several representatives from rally organisers 'Tangkap Azam Baki Committee' are seen on site.
Road blocks are set up to divert traffic from accessing the Bangsar LRT station but trains remain operational.
So far there has been light police presence with largely plain clothes personnel monitoring the location.
Others present so far include observers from the Bar Council and Freedom of Expression (FOE) Cluster.
Center for Independent Journalism (CIJ) programme officer Vinodh Pillai, representing the FOE Cluster, says: "We hope that there are no untoward incidents today.
"We hope that the authorities will protect and enshrine our freedom of expression in this assembly. We look forward to working with the necessary authorities," he says.
The ‘Tangkap Azam Baki’ protest was mobilised in the wake of a shareholding scandal implicating the MACC chief, prompting calls for an independent probe on the allegations.
Azam claimed the over two million shares in two companies were not his but purchased by his brother in his name - in 2015 and 2016 - prompting the Securities Commission (SC) to also get involved over the possible misuse of his trading account.
On Jan 18, the SC issued a statement saying they had concluded their investigation into Azam and that based on evidence gathered, they were "not able to conclusively establish that a breach under section 25(4) of the Securities Industry (Central Depositories) Act 1991 (Sicda) has occurred".
However, following criticisms over its announcement, the SC issued a clarification the next day (Jan 19), where it clarified it found no evidence of proxy trading by Azam.
The country's first major rally this year will also be held amid fresh concerns over the Omicron Covid-19 variant.
