Gathering on assembly law reform turns tense in brief standoff with cops
KUALA LUMPUR : A gathering calling for the abolition of the Sedition Act and the reform of the Peaceful Assembly Act turned a little tense when a participant was allegedly manhandled by a policeman outside Parliament this morning.
Student group Himpunan Advokasi Rakyat Malaysia (Haram) president Brendon Gan, who witnessed the incident, claimed that a policeman grabbed a demonstrator by the neck during a standoff at the barricade.
'Who gave the cops the right to do that?' he asked.
'If it wasn't for YB Syed Saddiq who came to help, who knows what would've happened?,' he said, referring to Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman.
FMT has contacted the police for comment.
The incident occurred as about 50 demonstrators – from electoral reform group Bersih, rights group Suaram, student groups, unions, and several civil society organisations – marched from Taman Tugu to Parliament to hand over a memorandum demanding reforms.
They were stopped in the middle of the road by policemen who prevented them from reaching Parliament's gates.
Protesters, some of whom turned up as early as 10.30pm despite the downpour, chanted 'long live the people, rise up against oppressive laws!' while beating drums and holding up banners that read 'fight draconian legislation'.
The crowd was later met by several MPs and representatives, including Syed Saddiq; Perikatan Nasional's Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal; Teresa Kok, Syerleena Abdul Rashid, Dr Kelvin Yii, Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh and Khoo Poay Tiong from Pakatan Harapan; as well as Warisan's Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis.
Addressing the crowd, Wan Fayhsal and the other MPs in attendance expressed support for the protesters.
'If I, as a parliamentarian with immunity, can be punished for speaking out, imagine the risks faced by citizens. I will ensure your voices reach the Dewan Rakyat,' Wan Fayhsal said.
Yii, the Bandar Kuching MP from DAP, reaffirmed the constitutional right to peaceful assembly, saying it had long been part of Malaysia's democratic tradition.
He urged the authorities not to suppress such gatherings but to instead 'facilitate them better',
'A bill will be tabled to amend the Peaceful Assembly Act,' he said. 'I haven't seen the final draft yet, but once I do, I will study it to ensure it includes the necessary reforms.
'Regardless of whether we agree with the message of a demonstration, we must respect their right to assemble.'
Several other speakers criticised the government for failing to deliver on its promises to abolish the Sedition Act and ensure meaningful reform of public assembly laws.
'This is not the first time we've submitted a memorandum calling for the Sedition Act to be abolished,' said Bersih chairman Faisal Abdul Aziz.
'We've done it before. Today, we are here to demand that the government listens and acts.'
Qistina Johari of Amnesty International Malaysia said peaceful assemblies and freedom of speech were being treated as 'a threat' by the authorities.
'Protests are not criminal. Protests are patriotic,' she said. 'The Sedition Act should have been abolished along with the British Empire — instead it's still being used to protect the powerful.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
2 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Illogical to put FT dept under Zahid, says Save KL
The federal territories ministry was formed in 1979 to align Kuala Lumpur's development with that of the Klang Valley. (Envato Elements pic) PETALING JAYA : A group representing Kuala Lumpur residents has opposed the proposal by an Umno Youth leader for the federal territories department to be placed under the supervision of deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. Save KL chairman M Ali said such a move was illogical and impractical, and would render Dr Zaliha Mustafa's role as federal territories minister redundant. He also voiced fears about additional costs, overlapping roles, and inefficiencies. 'If such a transfer occurs, Zahid would oversee the federal territories department, which indirectly means he would be overseeing Zaliha who is the head of the department,' he told FMT. Ali also said that Zahid, the Umno president, already served as deputy prime minister, rural and regional development minister, and chairman of the National Technical and Vocational Education and Training Council, in addition to representing the prime minister when necessary. 'Rural development is a very active and key role,' he said, adding that it would take up much of Zahid's time and focus. The federal territories ministry was formed in 1979 to align Kuala Lumpur's development with that of the Klang Valley. It was abolished in 1987 with a federal territories development department taking its place instead. The ministry was revived in 2004, restructured into the current federal territories department in 2022, and placed under the Prime Minister's Department. FT Umno Youth had proposed placing the department under Zahid's purview, saying the development of the three federal territories – Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan – seemed to have lost direction since the ministry was scrapped. FT Umno Youth chief Aliff Firdaus Abd Hadi claimed that key agencies in the territories were also working in silos, and that Zahid would be able to ensure better inter-agency coordination.
Free Malaysia Today
2 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
BN-PH pact likely to continue for GE16, but may change after that, says Zahid
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said BN is firm on continuing its alliance with PH in the run-up to the next nationwide polls despite calls for it to go solo. PETALING JAYA : While Barisan Nasional plans to continue its alliance with Pakatan Harapan in the next general election (GE16), BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says its strategies for elections after that may change. Zahid, the Umno president, acknowledged that there were calls for BN to contest in GE16 on its own, but said the coalition is firm on continuing its alliance with PH. However, he said BN's political strategies for the general elections that follow will be determined by the electoral performance of the parties in the alliance, Berita Harian reported. 'We do not know how many seats we will have, and how many seats they will have. 'Remember that, in Malaysia, differences in views are conventionally based on differing party 'colours'. We are willing to forget our different 'colours' for the sake of political stability,' he was quoted as saying. The Umno-led BN played a crucial role in enabling Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to form the unity government in the wake of the 2022 general election, which resulted in a hung Parliament. PH had won 81 parliamentary seats while BN won 30, in what was the latter's worst electoral performance to date.
Free Malaysia Today
2 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Zahid warns of a ‘cancer' that could bring down Umno
Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi opening the Arau Umno division's office today. (Bernama pic) ARAU : Umno leaders and members must respond swiftly to issues raised by their detractors to avoid such issues becoming 'a severe cancer that could bring us down', party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said today. Zahid said that if such issues are not addressed in a timely manner, they could go viral and affect public perception, regardless of their validity. 'Even if these are repeated or fabricated issues without basis, if left unaddressed, they will become a severe cancer that could bring us down,' he said after visiting the Arau Umno division today. He acknowledged that the party must accept the reality that it has been ineffective in managing issues, thus allowing other parties to win more seats in elections by manipulating public sentiment. 'There are parties that instil cult-like loyalty among their followers. Though their membership is smaller than ours, they secure more seats than we do,' he said. Zahid called on Umno leaders at all levels to deal with arising issues promptly and effectively. At the same time, the party leadership and the members must protect internal unity and party strength, even if faced with differing views and opinions, he said.
