A former Bersih activist has urged the government to withdraw its application to review the Federal Court’s declaration that a provision of the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAA) 2012 was unconstitutional.
In a Facebook post, Mandeep Singh reminded Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim that he was once charged under the PAA for exercising his right to assembly.
“To assemble in protest is the right of the Malaysian people. It is the duty of the government and law enforcement agencies to facilitate the process for citizens who wish to assemble.
“As a government that upholds institutional reform as part of its reform agenda, we should accept this court decision in order to defend the right to assemble.
“Let us not forget that Anwar himself was once charged under PAA because of Bersih 3,” he said.
Mandeep (above) is a former Bersih secretariat manager who ventured into politics after the 14th general election in 2018. He is now a special officer to Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo.
In July last year, a five-member bench led by then-chief justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat delivered a unanimous ruling deeming Section 9(5) of the PAA unconstitutional.
The clause stipulates that an organiser can be fined not more than RM10,000 for failure to provide a notice to the police, five days before a planned gathering.
Tengku Maimun said Section 9(5) of the PAA imposes a punishment that exceeds the limits permitted under Article 10(1)(b) of the Federal Constitution, which guarantees the freedom of speech, assembly, and association.
Mandiri executive director Amir Hariri Abd Hadi yesterday slammed the federal administration after he learned that the Attorney-General’s Chambers had applied for a review under Rule 137 of the Rules of the Federal Court 1995, which states that the top court may review past decisions to prevent any injustice or abuse of process. - Mkini
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