KUALA LUMPUR – Three members of Sekretariat Solidariti Rakyat (SSR) have been slapped with a RM2,000 compound each for organising a protest at Dataran Merdeka yesterday.
The three SSR members – Mohammad Alshatri Abdullah, Mohd Asraf Sharafi Mohd Azhar, and Muhammad Nur Taufiq Azhar – were summoned to Dang Wangi district police headquarters today and spent more than three hours in the IPD to give their statements.
When met outside the police station, Asraf said the case was being investigated under Section 9(5) of the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAA) and for failing to notify police about the rally and Regulation 10 of Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures Within Infected Local Areas) (National Recovery Plan) Regulations 2021 which prohibits gatherings.
“We are discussing whether to pay or to challenge the compound.
“The gathering that we did was based on the principle of freedom of speech.
“Either way, our fight does not end here, and we have to continue our momentum,” Asraf said.
The senior coordinator of Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) said they gave their full cooperation to the police during the probe.
“However, if this is an order from certain parties to suppress the voice of the people, it is a form of discrimination,” he said.
Maybe they are afraid that the rakyat will unite to rebuke the government.
“We were only echoing the sentiments of the people based on constitutional principles and freedom of speech. We are bringing the voice of the people who are really affected and do not have the capacity to speak especially in these trying times,” he added.
Meanwhile, Alshatri expressed his gratitude to those who have shown support and solidarity to the youth coalition thus far.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all who have given us support and shown solidarity to SSR.
“Hopefully this fight will not end here and it will continue,” he stressed.
Lawyer Rajsurian Pillai who was also there as a representative of the team of lawyers assisting the trio, said all three who were summoned are ready to give full cooperation to the police and would be present if they are summoned again.
“The police said they are probably looking for participants who have attended the protest yesterday, but for now they have not identified anyone yet,” he said.
“I have informed the investigating officer to let us know if they are looking for other participants and we will give our cooperation.”
Yesterday, a small group of protesters raised 14 black flags at Dataran Merdeka in a protest reiterating three demands: Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s resignation, an automatic loan moratorium and for the upcoming special Parliament sitting to be more than a “briefing session” for the government.
Aside from black flags, five shrouded figures made to resemble corpses were laid on the historical grounds, to represent those that lost their lives to Covid-19 as well as those who were pushed to suicide by pressures of the pandemic.
Under the watchful eyes of more than 50 police officers, the protestors dispersed after about 20 minutes.
This is the second time members of SSR have been called up by police.
Following the #BukaPuasaBukaParlimen rally in April, the police had opened an investigation under the same section of the PAA.
Subsequently, a number of attendees were called in to Dang Wangi police station to provide statements.
However, a member of SSR denied that the April event was a protest, telling The Vibes: “It’s not a protest per se”, adding that the event was a “peaceful gathering of Malaysians breaking fast together”. – The Vibes, July 18, 2021
