At least 29 held in 'Arrest Najib' rally

KUALA LUMPUR - At least 29 protesters, including two opposition state assemblymen, were arrested yesterday during a demonstration in Kuala Lumpur calling for the arrest of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak over graft allegations.

About 100 people took part in the demonstration, which lasted about an hour before police moved in.

Datuk Seri Najib has moved swiftly to shore up support within his ruling Umno party days after the shock sacking of deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who criticised Mr Najib's handling of allegations of abuse of public funds linked to troubled state investor 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Mr Najib is chairman of 1MDB's board of advisers.

Mr Najib told Umno members yesterday that he valued loyalty over intelligence and that while he accepted criticism behind closed doors, a "ship can only have one captain".

Mr Muhyiddin remains Umno deputy president. But Deputy Transport Minister Abdul Aziz Kaprawi said yesterday that the former deputy premier could face disciplinary action for claiming that Mr Najib admitted to receiving RM2.6 billion (S$932 million) from "the Middle East" in a video the deputy minister claimed was intentionally leaked.

This article was first published on August 2, 2015.
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