The #Lawan rally which was scheduled to happen tomorrow, 21 August, was recently called off by The People’s Solidarity Secretariat following Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s resignation as Prime Minister and in view of the current political climate.
But it appears that some authorities are still wary over tomorrow’s now-cancelled rally. RapidKL announced that they will be temporarily shutting down 34 rail stations in Kuala Lumpur in the interest of “protecting public safety.”
Pelanggan yang dihormati, Rapid KL ingin memaklumkan penutupan sementara waktu beberapa stesen LRT, MRT dan Monorel yang terpilih pada Sabtu, 21 Ogos, mulai jam 9 pagi hingga 3 petang bagi tujuan memelihara keselamatan awam.
Rujuk poster untuk maklumat lanjut. pic.twitter.com/Ge6kKiQ7Ua
— RapidKL 03-78852585 (@MyRapidKL) August 20, 2021
RapidKL has had a history of closing rail stations in the capital due to street protests with one notable incident being the November 2007 Bersih protest.
The 34 stations which include the LRT, MRT and Monorail lines will be closed from 9am to 3pm tomorrow.
The affected stations are as follows:
Ampang and Sri Petaling LRT Line
- Chan Sow Lin, Pudu, Hang Tuah, Masjid Jamek, Bandaraya, Sultan Ismail and Cheras.
Kelana Jaya LRT Line
- Kampung Baru, Dang Wangi, Masjid Jamek, Pasar Seni, KL Sentral, Bangsar and Abdullah Hukum.
Kajang MRT Line
- Taman Pertama, Maluri, Cochrane, Tun Razak Exchange, Bukit Bintang, Merdeka, Pasar Seni and Muzium Negara
As well as all the 11 stations of the KL Monorail.
Public reaction
Many netizens expressed their displeasure towards the decision by questioning RapidKL how people who rely on public transport for work are supposed to commute.
One user said, “Bodoh (Stupid)! What about people who have to commute to work? The transit bus is always late.”
Another asked, “What’s the reason for the closure? How are people supposed to go to work?”
Some even believe that the station closures were a sort of foreshadowing of the possible protests tomorrow due to the recent announcement of Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob as the 9th Prime Minister of Malaysia.
“The fact that RapidKL suspended services tomorrow shows that they are in cahoots with the government. They don’t want people to gather to protest!”
Another user said, “Failed Government 2.0 have started to take action. It is an attempt to cut all major gatherings in light of the appointment of the Prime Minister. It is obvious that they are scared of the rakyat.”
What do you think of this? Let us know in the comments!
Also read: BREAKING: Ismail Sabri Yaakob Has Been Appointed As The 9th Prime Minister Of Malaysia
