Senators 'traitors' for not killing Assembly Bill

Having failed to stop the Peaceful Assembly Bill through a last minute memorandum hours before the Dewan Negara debate, civil society group KilltheBill.org said the 39 senators who passed the Bill had let down Malaysians.

“Like the BN members of the Dewan Rakyat, the 39 senators who supported the Bill will go down in history as traitors to our constitutionally-enshrined freedom,” the group said in an immediate press statement.

According to the group, which has held several civil disobedience events since Dewan Rakyat passed the Bill on Nov 30, the senators had failed in their duty to check the Lower House’s mistakes.

The Bill was passed today through bloc voting, with eight Pakatan Rakyat senators opposing.

Speaking toMalaysiakini, coordinator Vienna Looi (seated right in photo) said today’s events does not mean an end to the movement's struggle, with more peaceful protests in store in the next year.

“We wanted to show that the rakyat will not stay quiet... we had hoped to stop the Bill but we had to be realistic... we will announce our strategy on how to fight the Bill. It is just a start of a long struggle,” she said.

Drafted without public consultations

Earlier, the group which is part of a larger movement including several NGOs demanding that the Bill be canned, had submitted a memorandum to BN and Pakatan senators to put partisan interest behind them and to vote against the Bill.

In the memorandum, the group said the Dewan Negara must reject the Bill because:

• It was drafted without meaningful public consultations. Its many flaws cannot be mitigated with just six amendments introduced in the Dewan Rakyat.

•  It does not meet international standards in regulating public assemblies, particularly through the blanket ban on street processions.

•  It is all-encompassing that its enforcement will either be selective or ridiculous.

•  It does not prevent violence, falsifying the argument that the restrictions imposed ensures peace.

•  It is unconstitutional as it goes against Article 10(1)(b) of the federal constitution.

Accepting the memorandum, PKR senator Syed Husin Ali had assured the group that even if the Bill was passed by the Upper House, “the power of the people will force the ruler to withdraw any cruel law”.

Echoing Syed Hussin, DAP senator S Ramakrishnan added that freedom of expression is crucial for any country, and restricting it will place a curb on innovative thinking.

The group later submitted the memorandum to the de facto deputy law minister Liew Vui Keong after the House had already passed the Bill.

Looi said she was disappointed as the voice of the people has never been heard.

She said that although the group had already held a few protests at KLCC, it seemed like the government had not listened to them.

However, she stressed that the group will continue its disobedience campaigns until the law is repealed.

The Dewan Rakyat had passed the Bill after less than four hours of debate, following a walkout by Pakatan Rakyat MPs.