Malaysians gear up for street rallies urging Najib to quit

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysian activists are putting more pressure on embattled Prime Minister Najib Razak to resign with major street rallies this weekend following allegations of suspicious money transfers into his accounts.

Najib has been fighting for political survival after leaked documents in July showed he received some $700 million in his private accounts from entities linked to indebted state fund 1MDB. He later said the money was a donation from the Middle East, not from 1MDB.

Activist Maria Chin, who heads the Bersih coalition for clean and fair elections that is organizing the rallies this weekend, says Najib should resign and the political system and state institutions be reformed to be more transparent and accountable.