As a financial scandal involving nearly $700 million in allegedly pilfered state funds grows, with thousands protesting in the streets, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is rejecting pressure for his resignation and slamming his critics as unpatriotic.
Videos and photos shot in Kuala Lumpur on Monday show masses of demonstrators at the city’s Independence Square leading up to Monday’s National Day celebrations. Late on Sunday, Najib slammed protesters for possessing a “shallow mind and poor national spirit,” and promised he’d remain in power even as investigations into his involvement in the mismanaged state funds continues.
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“Once the sails have been set, once the anchor has been raised, the captain and his crew would never change course,” he said in his National Day address.
Police estimated around 35,000 showed up to largely peaceful anti-government rallies over the weekend, many wearing canary yellow t-shirts representing the Bersih movement — a coalition of NGOs, civil groups, and politicians fighting for “clean and fair elections.” Former Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad joined on Sunday in calls for a “people’s power” movement to “remove” Najib.
Related: In Photos: Kuala Lumpur a Sea of Yellow as Thousands of Protesters Flood the Streets
Mahathir, Najib’s predecessor, was once a supporter of the current regime. He was Malaysia’s longest serving leader, holding the prime minister post for 22 years until stepping down in 2003 — though he has retained his influence in the country. Since leaving office he has become one of his protégée’s more outspoken critics.
“The only way for the people to get back to the old system is for them to remove this prime minister,” Mahathir told reporters Sunday. “And to remove him, the people must show people’s power. The people as a whole do not want this kind of corrupt leader.”
The weekend’s protests echo the Bersih-led popular demonstrations that took place in Kuala Lumpur in 2011 and 2012, when an estimated 50,000 demonstrators — many in yellow shirts — crowded Independence Square to call for electoral reform ahead of a national vote.
Despite those protests, the current coalition government won the 2013 elections with support of the country’s majority Malay population, which has thus far not expressed strong support for the most recent push for Najib’s resignation. In contrast, Malaysia’s significant Indian and Chinese minorities made up the majority of demonstrators this weekend, voicing growing discontent over the prime minister’s rule. A smaller Malay contingent was also present.
Although a visible security presence was seen over the weekend, no violence was reported at the most recent demonstrations — which were much calmer than the 2011-2012 protests, which ended in the arrests of nearly 400 demonstrators and were broken up by police water canons and tear gas canisters.
Related: Documents Allegedly Prove Malaysian Prime Minister Funneled $700 Million From State Fund
Najib has come under increasing pressure to resign since news of the financial scandal involving indebted state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MBD) first surfaced in early July. Najib is accused of funneling nearly hundreds of millions into his personal account and acting improperly as the founder and head of the board of advisers of 1MBD, which is $11 billion in debt. Najib set up the fund in 2009 to develop new industries at home following a series of failed energy ventures abroad. If the claims prove true, the Malaysian head of state could face criminal charges.
Najib has continued to deny the accusations, and has since fired his deputy prime minister and other ministers who questioned him over the event. He also replaced the attorney general leading the investigation into the fund. The scandal also comes as Malaysia’s currency fell to a 17-year low earlier this month and fear is spreading of further economic decline.
In his speech Sunday, Najib blamed his opposition for spreading misplaced fears that, “Malaysia would become bankrupt like Greece.”
“It is clearly proven that Malaysia is not a failed state, as claimed by some,” Najib said. “It is far from a bankrupt nation. We are still in a stable condition, with solid fundamentals, and remain competitive.”
