In a statement, the initiator of the petition on Change.org, Azrul Mohd Khalib, said that the petition now holds the record on the site with the highest number of signatures gathered for an appeal from Malaysia.

“Combined with the physical copies being signed during signature drives being held across the country, the combined total of people who have indicated their support for the objectives of the Citizens’ Declaration and of the #SelamatkanMalaysia movement has now reached more than 220,000.

“Obviously, there is still a fair amount of work needing to be done before the petition reaches the target of 1,000,000 signatures.

“The need for change and for a better Malaysia must come from Malaysians themselves. This signature drive is an expression of that. The campaign continues on,” he said.