Any pretence that yesterday's rally was to celebrate the government's decision to abandon a United Nations anti-discrimination pact evaporated quickly in Kuala Lumpur's scorching afternoon heat.
From lowly lawmakers and their political masters from Umno and Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), to pro-Malay and Islamic civil society leaders and the myriad banners on display, the key thrust of the three-hour rally was the perceived threat that the fledgling Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition posed to the inalienable special privileges held by Malaysia's majority ethnic community.
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