KUANTAN: Some 100 people gathered for the "Raja dan rakyat berpisah tiada (the Ruler and the people are inseparable) solidarity gathering outside the Sultan Ahmad 1 state mosque here yesterday.
Organised by Majlis Mahasiswa Anak Pahang (Mampan), the gathering was held to pledge support to the Pahang palace following former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's comments concerning religion, royalty, and race (3R) during the Nenggiri by-election campaign.
Participants were seen carrying placards and banners condemning Muhyiddin's statement and urging the authorities to take immediate action against him over his distasteful remarks while others pledged their loyalty to the Pahang palace.
Mampan chairman Aidid Fadhullah Abdul Sukor said the gathering organised by Pahang-born undergraduates was to express their unhappiness towards politicians.
"There is a limit in politics and politicians out there should not go overboard. We want to send a strong signal that the young people are aware of whatever is happening in politics and condemn such statements.
"When touching on politics, do not speak on the 3R issues. Never speak about the royal institution or the 16th Yang Di Pertuan Agong who is also the Sultan of Pahang," he told reporters here today.
Meanwhile, Kuantan police chief Assistant Commissioner Wan Mohd Zahari Wan Busu said the gathering was held peacefully for an hour before the crowd dispersed.
He said Mampan had informed police about the gathering, prompting policemen to be deployed to ensure safety especially since the gathering was held near the main road.