Man Who Led Butt Protest Outside Ambiga S House Now Ppbm Member

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(FMT) – An ex-army man who led a group of men in the so-called “butt protest” of 2012 outside the home of then Bersih chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan, has now joined PPBM, saying he is now a supporter of Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Mohd Ali Baharom, better known as Ali Tinju, who had led the so-called “Red Shirts” protests to counter rallies by electoral reforms group Bersih over the years, said he had lost trust in the Umno leadership in the wake of corruption scandals involving former prime minister Najib Razak.
Ali said he was now a changed man, saying it was in keeping with the conditions laid down by Mahathir for ex-Umno members to join PPBM.“I joined PPBM on my own accord. In Umno, I was not in a leadership position. So, we were just taking orders from the leaders,” he told FMT.
Ali, who is now a member of the Bandar Tun Razak PPBM division, gained notoriety when he and about a dozen men took part in a bizarre “butt exercise” to protest against Bersih, with their backs facing Ambiga’s house in Bukit Damansara.
The protest was to warn Ambiga against going ahead with the third Bersih rally in 2012, following a huge rally in 2011 to demand electoral reforms.
When reminded of his protest against Ambiga that drew condemnations from civil society groups, Ali said:
“Yes, I was involved in such provocations, but I have never lied or taken people’s money.
“I joined PPBM as a follower, and I’m not after any post or monetary gains.
“I am aware of Dr Mahathir’s reminder that if you want to join PPBM, you must change.”
 

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