As the Dewan Rakyat was gearing up for the Peaceful Assembly Bill debate today, staunch opponents against the curtailing of freedom of assembly in any manner staged a protest.
Demanding that the constitutionally guaranteed right be upheld, civil rights activists led by the Free to Assemble Campaign (FAC) gathered in front of Parliament gates, calling for an unconditional withdrawal of the bill.
Surprisingly police presence was minimal for the occasion.
"We want Parliament to withdraw the draconian Bill immediately as it is unconstitutional and repressive," said Suaram coordinator E Nalini.
"While superficially removing the need for police permits, it has imposed more unreasonable restriction and hefty fines, making it worse than the existing restrictions under the Police Act," she added.
Dubbing the Bill, "Orwellian", destructive to the welfare of a free society, she said not only was it an assault on civil liberties but also insults the people's common sense and intelligence.
Flanked by renowned personalities from Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (Bersih) - its chair Ambiga Sreenevasan and steering committee member Wong Chin Huat the event included representatives from Pusat Komunikasi Masyarakat (Komas), and Jaringan Rakyat Tertindas (Jerit) as well.
The flag and yellow posters
About 50 supporters stood armed with the Jalur Gemilang and yellow posters printed with the constitution's Article 10 on freedom of assembly.
"This Bill is cruel, we hope it will be withdrawn immediately... please do not for one minute believe this Bill allows freedom of assembly," said Ambiga.
"In my view this bill takes away freedom of assembly, it takes away the right guaranteed under the article in related to freedom of assembly," added the former Bar Council president.
She slammed the new Bill, saying it is much worse than Section 27 of the Police Act and contradicted Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's call for reforms on the eve of Malaysia Day on Sept 15.
"The impression given by the prime minister's announcement was that we are going to become more liberal, that we believe in the right to freedom of assembly. This Bill is not good, you can't even amend this Bill it has to be withdrawn," said Ambiga.
Opposition Pakatan Rakyat parliamentarians also joined in the protest and the chorus against the repressive nature of the Bill.
PSM secretary-general S Arutchelvan, tagged Najib's promise as a "lie to deceive" the people.
What was promised was that it will adhere to the constitution and the constitution accords the rights to assemble peacefully without arms. But this Bill contradicts the constitution, he said.
He also took the government to task for consulting stakeholders before attempting to enact the Bill.
"With this, it will only make the lives of the police easier as they don't have to process permits anymore," said Arutchelvan.
Despite strong opposition, the Bill's proponents insist that Malaysians are not prepared for unbridled freedom and such a right would spell disaster for a multiracial country.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.