Despite arrest, Turun chief says rally must go on

Gerakan Turun Kos Sara Hidup (Turun) head Muhamad Azan Safar remain resolved to leading a demonstration at Dataran Merdeka on Dec 31 despite having spent 20 hours in police custody.

"My arrest and subsequent release will not cause this struggle to end and it will continue until the rakyat's cost of living is reduced," Muhamad said in a statement that was issued shortly after his release from custody.

Muhamad was arrested close to midnight on Monday and was released at about 7pm yesterday.

He was arrested under Section 9(5) under the Peaceful Assembly Act 2013 for organising a rally without adequate prior notification and Section 124C under the Penal Code for attempting to commit activities detrimental to parliamentary democracy.

Turun and several other NGOs are planning to hold a demonstration against government policies that has led to higher cost of living.

Since the 13th general election in May, the Najib-administration has reduced fuel subsidies and removed subsidies for sugar altogether. Kuala Lumpur property tax, highway toll charges and electricity tariff is expected to go up the following year.

There are also concerns over inflation caused by the impending Goods and Services Tax (GST) that will be introduced in 2015.

Critics have claimed that the government should not cut back on subsidies without plugging leakages and minimising corruption that has contributed to the federal budget deficit.

Not aimed at putsch

Meanwhile, Azan also questioned the police's use of the D9 serious crimes unit to conduct his arrest.

"The reality is, who is the real hardcore criminal? Does fighting for the rakyat's rights and voice for cost of living to be reduced make me a hardcore criminal who must be apprehended?" he said.

Azan said he had merely called the rakyat to show solidarity in objecting the recent series of price hikes on essential items so that the government will not take the issue lightly.

He said that the interrogation process had revealed that the police had used his speech at a recent public forum entitled "Understand GST, Fight GST" as the basis of investigations and had suspecting him of trying to topple the government.

"Such blind and baseless accusation reflects the authorities' handicap in the process of gathering evidence. How can investigations be conducted based on assumptions?" he said.  

He said he had told the police that Turun was not involved in the rally which the authorities claimed aims to overthrow the federal government.

After the New Year's Eve protest is over, Azan said Turun's next course of action is a campaign called "2014, the year of the rakyat's suffering", to educate the public about issues concerning higher cost of living.