Suspension protest: MP's son, ex-PKR Youth leader held

By Teoh El Sen

UPDATED KUALA LUMPUR: Bagan Serai MP N Gobalakrishnan's son was arrested following a scuffle between the police and some 20 Pakatan Rakyat supporters protesting the suspension of four opposition MPs from Parliament today.

G Pravin, 25, is the Bagan Serai PKR division information chief. Also arrested was former PKR Youth information chief Lee Kai Loon, 32.

Led by PKR's Balik Pulau MP Yusmadi Yusof and PKR Youth Chief Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin, the group was marching out of Parliament when it was stopped by the police's light strike force unit.

The protesters, who were enroute to the Suhakam office here to file a complaint over the suspensions, held placards which read “Where is Justice?” and chanted “Reformasi” and “Hidup Anwar”.

The protesters were however ordered to disperse as the march was considered an illegal gathering, and this led to an argument between Yusmadi and a police officer.

The PKR MP argued that a peaceful procession was not an illegal assembly and lambasted the police.

"I am MP for Balik Pulau. The rights of the MPs have been breached in Parliament. And we are going to Suhakam to raise this matter,” he told the police officer.

"We are walking because we are taking public transport. There's nothing wrong with walking here, the pedestrian pathway. I have been doing a lot of public assembly cases, this isn't one," he said.

When Yusmadi insisted on marching, the protesters and the police personnel started pushing and shoving each other, paving the way for Pravin and Lee's arrests.

The two were then taken to the Dang Wangi police station.

The police later allowed a smaller group with Yusmadi and Shamsul to head towards Suhakam, where a complaint was filed around 2.30pm.

The four MPs suspended were Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, DAP stalwart Karpal Singh, PKR deputy president Azmin Ali and PKR Subang MP R Sivarasa.

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