But police says: Protesters were stubborn, we used minimal force

KUALA LUMPUR- Police have denied acting outside legal provisions to disperse a crowd that had gathered at the National Mosque last Sunday to protest a 37 per cent water tariff hike in Selangor.

Instead, city police chief Datuk Pahlawan Zulkifli Abdullah said police had only taken minimal action to disperse the rally and had given their full cooperation to Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim to send a memorandum to Istana Negara.

"The Menteri Besar had also agreed with our advice and suggestion that the crowd should not march to Istana Negara. After the Zohor prayers at the National Mosque, he was given the green light to submit the memorandum at Istana Negara," said Zulkifli in response to a report titled "Bar Council Slams Cops For Police-State Mindset" that was published in the Malaysian Insider.

Tear gas and water cannons

The article stated that police action to disperse the rally was crude and oppressive.

Zulkifli said the protestors were stubborn and insisted on marching towards the Istana Negara which prompted the police to take some form of action to stop the rally and preserve public order in the city.

"At present, provisions under Section 27 of the Police Act 1967 is still in force and in accordance with article 10 of the Federal Constitution, any rally must obtain a licence from the police," he said.

Last Sunday, about 4,000 people gathered at the National Mosque in protest of the proposed 37 per cent water tariff hike in Selangor.

Since the protestors were stubborn, police had to use tear gas to disperse them, he said.

The rally also caused city dwellers to be trapped in a massive traffic jam while traders and businessmen in the area incurred heavy losses. - BERNAMA