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Tashny Sukumaran

A hashtag urging Malaysia’s king to intervene in Covid-19 measures or change the government has gone viral in the country, garnering widespread support, especially from younger generations.
The #KitaMintaLima (We ask for five) hashtag, reminiscent of Hong Kong protesters’ “Five demands, not one less” slogan, calls on Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah to take five steps amid growing discontent over the Southeast Asian nation’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
It calls for a targeted and effective lockdown; a show of support for frontline workers and the channelling of resources to combat the pandemic; automatic bank loan moratoriums and stimulus packages for citizens; equal enforcement of the rules imposed under the lockdown; and e-learning devices and internet access for all students.
Failing this, “a change of government”, reads the poster containing the demands.
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The hashtag quickly reached trending status on Twitter, with influencers and politicians sharing the poster and commenting on the movement. It remains unclear who started it, but as of Monday afternoon over 50,000 tweets had been sent using the hashtag.
“A socmed [social media] campaign that contains five requests from [the people] to the government, which cannot be identified to a single source, which is not initiated by any political party or identifiable NGO, and has been trending for close of 12 hours in Malaysia,” tweeted Syahredzan Johan, a lawyer and political aide.
Some Malaysians tweeted pictures of themselves holding up a hand with all five fingers outstretched.
Syahredzan and other influential Malaysians, such as author Hanna Alkaf, took to Twitter to urge the king to take action just weeks after he assented to Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s request to impose a national emergency that suspended parliament and allowed the Perikatan Nasional coalition to govern by fiat.
The declaration also allowed the king to issue orders relating to the use of private hospital assets, temporary possession of land, buildings or moveable properties of private hospitals as well as direct the use of private hospital resources to treat Covid-19 patients.

So #KitaMintaLima is trending in Malaysia.

Who started it? Who is behind it?

Don’t know, but I’ll get behind it too. pic.twitter.com/KZLaknAez2
— Syahredzan Johan (@syahredzan) February 5, 2021

“It is unclear yet whether the movement will translate to actual change but it is common for people to voice discontent and push for policies online,” parliamentary observer Ong Ooi Heng said.
The hashtag most likely stemmed from the pressures of dealing with the pandemic but is unlikely to resonate with the working class, according to Awang Azman Awang Pawi, a political scientist at the University of Malaya.
“This is popular among the middle class who are very active on Twitter as a social resource,” he said. “But the working class are focused on survival, even though both levels of society are facing difficulties due to policies that haven’t quite hit their target.”
Explainer | Malaysia’s new Covid-19 lockdown and state of emergency
Malaysia is currently under a lockdown or “movement control order” until February 18, and has so far recorded 245,552 Covid-19 cases. On Monday, a record 24 deaths were reported, bringing the total number of coronavirus-related deaths in the country to 896.
The “five demand” model was previously used by Hong Kong protesters calling for the resignation of Chief Executive Carrie Lam among others, and more recently by student leaders in Myanmar demanding democracy following the military coup.

The #KitaMintaLima hashtag is not the only grass-roots movement making waves in Malaysia. Last week, a group of civil society organisations filed a public interest suit against the prime minister and government over the national emergency, voicing concerns that parliament was suspended while it was business as usual for the government, judiciary and private sector.
“We are concerned that the proclamation of emergency … has resulted in both Houses of Parliament being unable to fulfil their constitutional role of debating and voting on the Emergency Ordinance,” said the groups, which include Bersih 2.0 (The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections) and the Centre for Independent Journalism.
‘Listen here, you idiot’ trends in Malaysia amid lockdown frustration
As a constitutional monarch, Malaysia’s king plays a largely ceremonial role but has certain powers including selecting a prime minister to lead the government, and declaring a state of emergency on the advice of the prime minister if the “security, economic life or public order” of the nation is threatened.
In October, Sultan Abdullah rejected Muhyiddin’s initial request for an emergency, a move lauded by opposition politicians who had accused the premier of using the pandemic to preserve his tenuous grip on power.


Muhyiddin was appointed prime minister in March 2020 after a political coup in which the previous Pakatan Harapan ruling coalition lost its parliamentary majority.
The king has since assumed a more dynamic role during the country’s political turmoil and back-room negotiations when opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim attempted to become prime minister.
Malaysia’s emergency over Covid-19 offers PM Muhyiddin reprieve
Anwar met with the king in October, after which the Palace released a statement saying the ruler had asked him to abide by the Constitution.
Anwar has taken the matter to court, in January filing for leave to initiate judicial review in a bid to challenge the government’s decision in advising the king to declare the emergency, calling the cabinet decision “invalid and unconstitutional”.


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Echoing Hong Kong protests, Malaysia’s ‘five demands’ to king over coronavirus go viral

Malaysia's Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah plays a largely ceremonial role as a constitutional monarch but a new movement is calling on him to take steps over the coronavirus pandemic or change the government. Photo: AFP

epa08979609 People line up outside Covid-19 Assessment Centres (CAC) at Port Klang, outside Kuala Lumpur, 01 February 2021. The Health Department set up mobile CAC to monitor patients with mobility problem or in the vulnerable group. Covid-19 cases in Malaysia dropped to 4,214 after three consecutive days of staying above the 5,000 mark with 10 more deaths on 01 February according to the Ministry of Health. EPA-EFE/FAZRY ISMAIL

How political mismanagement has fuelled Malaysia’s coronavirus surge

Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, centre, visits a Covid-19 treatment and quarantine centre in Serdang earlier this month. Photo: Handout via Xinhua

A worker adds finishing touches to giant mural tribute to frontline workers in the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic outside a hospital in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021. Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has unveiled a new 15 billion ringgit ($3.7 billion) stimulus to bolster consumption, with the economy expected to reel from a second coronavirus lockdown and an emergency declaration. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

29 February 2020, Malaysia, Putrajaya: Malaysian Health Ministry director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah speaks at a press conference on the status of the coronavirus (COVID-19) infection at the Ministry of Health. Photo: Harry Salzman/BERNAMA/dpa

(210116) -- KUALA LUMPUR, Jan. 16, 2021 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian Health Minister Adham Baba (R) checks the facility for new patients at a COVID-19 treatment and quarantine center at Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) in Serdang, Malaysia, Jan. 16, 2021. Malaysia reported 4,029 new COVID-19 infections in the highest daily spike since the outbreak, bringing the national total to 155,095, the Health Ministry said on Saturday. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)

Coronavirus: Malaysia’s lockdown extended, Philippines negotiating 178 million vaccine doses

Malaysia has some 220,000 coronavirus cases including 770 deaths.. Photo: Xinhua

Passengers wearing face masks and face shields for protection against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) get off a train in Manila, Philippines, January 29, 2021. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez

Tennis - ATP Cup - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, February 2, 2021 Fans watch the match between Serbia's Dusan Lajovic and Canada's Milos Raonic, Crowd capacity for this years event has been capped at 25% following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) REUTERS/Kelly Defina

A woman wearing a face mask walks past logos of Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo on February 2, 2021. - Olympics chief Andrew Parsons is confident the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games will go ahead this year, and will be "a platform to change to world" -- with or without spectators. (Photo by Behrouz MEHRI / AFP)

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim says government misled king over coronavirus state of emergency

Malaysia opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. Photo: Reuters

Malaysia declares emergency over Covid-19 surge, giving embattled Muhyiddin some breathing room

People clad in face masks seen in downtown Kuala Lumpur. Photo: AP

This handout picture taken and released by Malaysia's National Palace on October 28, 2020 shows Malaysia's Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin (R) talking with Malaysia's King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah after their meeting at the National Palace in Kuala Lumpur. (Photo by Handout / Malaysia National Palace / AFP) / -----EDITORS NOTE --- RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / MALAYSIA NATIONAL PALACE" - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

FILE PHOTO: People wait in line to be tested for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Shah Alam, Malaysia January 7, 2021. REUTERS/Lim Huey Teng/File Photo

Shoppers wearing face masks, amid concerns over the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus buy groceries at a supermarket in Bentong, in Malaysia’s Pahang state on January 11, 2021. (Photo by Mohd RASFAN / AFP)

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The #KitaMintaLima (We ask for five) hashtag is similar to Hong Kong protesters’ ‘Five demands, not one less’ slogan
Sultan Abdullah is urged to take five steps to help the country amid anger over PM Muhyiddin Yassin’s government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic



Sultan Abdullah has been urged to take five steps to help the country amid anger over the government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.


Echoing Hong Kong protests, Malaysia’s ‘five demands’ to king over coronavirus go viral

The #KitaMintaLima (We ask for five) hashtag is similar to Hong Kong protesters’ ‘Five demands, not one less’ slogan Sultan Abdullah is urged to take five steps to help the country amid anger over PM Muhyiddin Yassin’s government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic

The #KitaMintaLima (We ask for five) hashtag is similar to Hong Kong protesters’ ‘Five demands, not one less’ slogan

Sultan Abdullah is urged to take five steps to help the country amid anger over PM Muhyiddin Yassin’s government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic