Nazri uses May 13 riots to justify street protest ban

Responding to heavy criticism of the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 by the opposition and civil society, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz is using the May 13, 1969, incident and the London riots in August to justify the ban on street protests.

He challenged the critics to express their objections in the next general election.

In a commentary published by dailiesNew Straits Times andUtusan Malaysiatoday, Nazri began his argument by recounting the most severe racial clash in the history of Malaysia.

"No one who witnessed the tragic scenes of May 13, 1969, will ever forget the terror they felt as a wave of violence tore through Kuala Lumpur. When the cloud of smoke over the capital finally cleared, nearly 200 people lay dead. Homes and businesses had been destroyed, and the fabric of our fledgling nation appeared to have been torn beyond repair," he says.

After the tragedy, Nazri said, Malaysia managed to rebuild the crack and become a "vibrant 21st century democracy" and a "tolerant and progressive society", with disputes settled through elections and not street protests.

He argued that freedom of assembly did not mean the liberty to cause chaos on the streets and disrupt the livelihood of ordinary Malaysians.

"RM50 to RM60 may be nothing to a wealthy politician exploiting a street demonstration to promote himself, but it is a great deal of money for the owner of a hawker stall who cannot work for a day because the roads are blocked."

To strengthen his view, Nazri cited the London riots, which led to the ban on street demonstrations by the British government.

Bill based on laws used by democracies

"She (British Home Secretary Theresa May) was able to do so because, despite what you may hear from the opposition, democracies around the world have laws in place that balance the right to free expression with the right of ordinary people to go about their business.

"Just look at Germany, where anti-Catholic protests were banned during a visit by the Pope, or the United States, where riot police have been deployed in recent weeks to break up the Occupy Wall Street protests," he added.

Reiterating that the Peace Assembly Bill was based on similar legislation used by democracies around the world, Nazri also touched on the electoral reform coalition Bersih 2.0.

"If Bersih wants to stage a stadium rally on July 9 next year, no permit will be required, thanks to the Bill. Yet the same people, who said it was wrong for the police to have the power to ban a demonstration, are now objecting to a law that takes away that power."

He concluded his argument by calling on the critics to take their objections to the ballot box.

"If you agree, you should join us in supporting PAB. If you disagree, that's fine. Malaysia is a democracy, and you can hold whatever opinions you choose.

"But rather than taking your objections onto the streets, take them with you to the ballot box.

"That's what generations of Malaysians have done since the dark days of 1969, and that's why Malaysia has become the strong, united, progressive nation it is today," he said.