The opposition has no right to take credit for amendments to the Peaceful Assembly Bill as it was BN parliamentarians who pushed for it.
Saying this while debating the Bill in the Dewan Rakyat, Abdul Rahman Dahlan (BN-Kota Belud) said that it was the BN backbenchers who met with the relevant ministers to request the changes.
“It was the BN backbenchers who met with the (de facto law) minister, attorney-general and Home Ministry to ask that several amendments be made...
“Don’t the opposition try to claim to be heroes as the ones pushing for the changes were BN MPs, although we never made any noise,” he said.
In supporting the Bill, the Kota Belud MP said that the ban on street demonstrations is justified as research show that mob mentality can lead to dangerous situations.
“An individual does not act normally while in a large group, he or she is influenced by the group. A lawyers can go insane and a discipline teacher can lose his or her mind due to the mass psychology,” he said.
He added that in a country like Malaysia, where citizens come from such diverse backgrounds, the smallest trigger can lead to “chaos and even killings”.
“It is not the opposition, the Bar Council, Amnesty International, Suaram or Suhakam who will be responsible when this happens,” he said.
Foreign infiltration
Abdul Rahman also argued that it is “wrong for the opposition to say that we should not be wary of subjugation or infiltration of foreign ideas”.
“If you believe that (there is no infiltration of foreign ideology) then you are not worthy of being here,” he said.
The contentious Bill was tabled for second reading several days after the first reading last week, and is currently being debated before it can be passed to committee level.
The debate, which will continue after lunch, saw fiery exchanges sparked between the opposition and government bench.
The government has made several amendments to the Bill since its first reading, including shortening the days in which an advanced notice must be given before an assembly, from 30 days to 10 days.
The blanket ban on street demonstrations still stands, resulting in a protest march led by the Bar Council this morning.
Saying this while debating the Bill in the Dewan Rakyat, Abdul Rahman Dahlan (BN-Kota Belud) said that it was the BN backbenchers who met with the relevant ministers to request the changes.“It was the BN backbenchers who met with the (de facto law) minister, attorney-general and Home Ministry to ask that several amendments be made...
“Don’t the opposition try to claim to be heroes as the ones pushing for the changes were BN MPs, although we never made any noise,” he said.
In supporting the Bill, the Kota Belud MP said that the ban on street demonstrations is justified as research show that mob mentality can lead to dangerous situations.
“An individual does not act normally while in a large group, he or she is influenced by the group. A lawyers can go insane and a discipline teacher can lose his or her mind due to the mass psychology,” he said.
He added that in a country like Malaysia, where citizens come from such diverse backgrounds, the smallest trigger can lead to “chaos and even killings”.
“It is not the opposition, the Bar Council, Amnesty International, Suaram or Suhakam who will be responsible when this happens,” he said.
Foreign infiltration
Abdul Rahman also argued that it is “wrong for the opposition to say that we should not be wary of subjugation or infiltration of foreign ideas”.
“If you believe that (there is no infiltration of foreign ideology) then you are not worthy of being here,” he said.
The contentious Bill was tabled for second reading several days after the first reading last week, and is currently being debated before it can be passed to committee level.
The debate, which will continue after lunch, saw fiery exchanges sparked between the opposition and government bench.
The government has made several amendments to the Bill since its first reading, including shortening the days in which an advanced notice must be given before an assembly, from 30 days to 10 days.
The blanket ban on street demonstrations still stands, resulting in a protest march led by the Bar Council this morning.
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