A MOVEMENT advocating institutional reforms in Malaysia has called on parliament to welcome protesters participating in the “reformasi” rally organised by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) tomorrow.
In a statement, Project Stability and Accountability for Malaysia (Projek Sama) said that the protesters plan to gather peacefully at the gate of parliament to urge the government to expedite institutional reforms.
It also urged the police to facilitate the gathering.
It stressed that Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul, who had joined previous Bersih rallies as a member of Pakatan Harapan (PH), which was then in the opposition, as well as new Dewan Negara President Datuk Mutang Tagal, can take this opportunity to show that Malaysia Madani is a politically mature society where petitioning citizens will be welcomed, and “not assaulted, arrested or harassed”.
“Doing so would showcase Tan Sri Johari Abdul’s vision of making our parliament a people-friendly institution, which moves ‘with the aspirations of the people,” Projek Sama said.
Projek Sama also took the police to task for not updating their own understanding of the Peaceful Assembly Act (PAA) 2012 since 2014.
“This time, Kuala Lumpur City police chief commissioner Datuk Allaudeen Abdul Majid has tried to deter the gathering on the grounds that Bersih has not given any notice to the police as per Section 9 of PAA,” it said.
“He has done so despite being clearly aware that Bersih plans to gather protesters at Plaza Tugu Negara at 8am tomorrow, and then march to parliament, which is but a few hundred metres away.”
Projek Sama noted that on April 25, 2014, the Court of Appeal had ruled in the case of Nik Nazmi v PP that Section 9(1) of the PPA is unconstitutional.
Nik Nazmi is another PH leader who had joined Bersih rallies before and is now the minister of the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry.
“This ruling was again affirmed by the Court of Appeal on September 7, 2016 in the case of Maria Chin v PP,” it said.
Chin is a former chairman of Bersih and former Petaling Jaya MP.
“We urge Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution (incidentally another PH leader who has joined previous Bersih rallies) to uphold the rule of law and protect the professional image of the police.
“We urge him to do so by directing the police to organise training for senior police officers on the PAA, with inputs from legal experts in the National Human Rights Commission and the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department.
“A warm welcome of the Bersih protesters by parliament and professional facilitation by the police tomorrow will demonstrate that Malaysia is a liberal democracy under the ideal of Madani championed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, yet another former participant in Bersih rallies.”
The police yesterday advised members of the public not to participate in the event, claiming that it did not comply with the PAA.
Allaudeen had stated that the police had not received any notification regarding the organising of the public gathering as required under the act.
However, Bersih representatives submitted the notice at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters today.
The rally, which uses the social media hashtag #Reformasi100Peratus, is being organised to demand “100 percent reforms” from the government.
According to the organisers, the rally will begin at the National Monument plaza near the parliament complex at 8am. – The Vibes, February 26, 2024.
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