PETALING JAYA: Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has proposed that amendments be made to the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 to ease the process for peaceful rallies to be held.
He said the law was dynamic in nature and could be amended based on current needs, Berita Harian reported.
The Peaceful Assembly Act currently requires rally organisers to notify police no less than five working days in advance and to obtain the venue owner’s consent to hold the rally.
“Perhaps (it could be proposed) that there would be no need for approval processes if a specific area has already been designated as a place for such assemblies,” Saifuddin was quoted as saying.
However, he reiterated that organisers must still notify the cops on planned rallies so that policemen could be deployed to ensure the rallies proceed smoothly.
Last weekend, just over 200 participants marched from the Sogo shopping complex to Dataran Merdeka to protest against corruption. Members of PAS, Bersatu and PKR’s youth wings were also present.
The organisers were initially at loggerheads with the police over a requirement to obtain consent from Sogo and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to use public spaces as gathering points.
Police also disputed claims that DBKL was not the owner of the venue, saying Padang Merbok and Dataran Merdeka had been gazetted as venues for gatherings, and that DBKL was the designated owner of these venues.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim then intervened and said the anti-graft rally could proceed without any issue and that “permission has been granted”.
Saifuddin defended the police, saying they were merely following the provisions of the Act in directing the organisers to obtain the site owner’s permission first.
He added that the cops were merely “communicating” the matter to the rally organisers, and that this did not mean Putrajaya was prohibiting the assembly.
“The government of today remains committed to upholding and defending the rights outlined in the constitution, including the freedom of assembly as enshrined in Article 10(1)(b).
“At the same time, Article 10(2)(b) of the Federal Constitution states that the government can implement reasonable restrictions if they are related to national security and public order. That is why these two matters need to be read together,” he said.
