KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Police began beefing up security in parts of the Malaysian capital on Saturday in case of possible opposition-led street protests next week against the ruling coalition.
The government has been trying to quell growing public andopposition discontent after a series of political scandals anda steep rise in fuel prices, leading to fears about thecountry's political and economic outlook.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Muhammad Sabtu Osman said severalroads leading to parliament would be closed on Monday andsecurity personnel would be deployed in some areas.
"Police have also taken preventive measures and have set uproadblocks from 2 p.m. (0600 GMT) today," he was quoted assaying by the state-run Bernama news agency.
Police are preparing for a mass gathering outsideparliament on Monday called by the opposition, which wants aparliamentary debate on a motion of no-confidence in thegovernment.
"We are having a gathering to show our support for themotion of no-confidence to be debated," said Ginie Lim, aspokesman for the opposition People's Justice Party.
The Barisan Nasional coalition, which has led Malaysiasince independence from British rule in 1957, is facing itsworst crisis in 50 years.
Its popularity has plummeted since a March general electionwhen the opposition alliance made surprisingly strong gains.
The opposition, led by former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim,needs just 30 more seats to win a simple majority and form agovernment. It won a record 82 seats in the 222-seat lowerhouse in the March election. The remaining seats are held bythe ruling coalition.
In Malaysia, a gathering of five or more people requires apolice permit. In practice, police deny permits toanti-government protests but often grant permits for protestsagainst foreign governments such as the United States.
(Reporting by Liau Y-Sing; editing by Andrew Dobbie)
