In a video posted on his Instagram, Tan, who had been on a food fast since Aug 4, passed on the Jalur Gemilang to Gurpreet Singh, who carries on where the activist left off.

Gurpreet said he could not bear to watch the nation suffering from the health crisis, particularly with Covid-19 cases reaching over 20,000 and 360 deaths reported yesterday.

“It’s a spark that Tan started and we want it to become a huge fire that every Malaysian will be a part of. We’re not doing this for ourselves but for Malaysia and the people of Malaysia.

“Hopefully, all that we are asking for will fall on the right ears and will come true,” he said, before quipping that he might not last as long as Tan.

Gurpreet began his fast at 5pm today and will continue indefinitely. He carries on the five demands that Tan had made:

• provide decision-making power immediately for experts or Parliament to handle Covid-19;
• provide RM500 million to buy medical equipment for hospitals handling Covid-19 cases;
• allow frontliners to reveal the real Covid-19 situation without any action being taken against them;
• announce which companies are allowed to operate (during lockdown);
• provide N95 face masks and sanitisers at all hospitals and police stations for free.

Tan said earlier today that he was still in high spirits though much weaker after his fast. He told FMT that he had received a lot of encouragement from family, friends and complete strangers in the past week.

A day after he began his hunger strike, some 10 policemen paid him a visit to ask him some questions about what he was doing.