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May Day rally, 20 arrested in Malaysia
Free Malaysia Today - May 1, 2011
Kuala Lumpur – The May Day rally today saw the arrest of about 20 protesters including Sungai Siput MP Jeyakumar Devaraj and Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) secretary-general S Arutchelvan. They were arrested for failing to disperse from an illegal assembly.
Most of them were arrested at Maju Junction along Jalan Sultan Ismail while Arutchelvan and another person were taken in near the Chow Kit monorail station. One person was arrested opposite the Dang Wangi police station for carrying a banner. He was at the police station to support his arrested colleagues.
About 400 people had gathered since 10.30am to take part in the May Day rally, calling for a minimum wage and against the continuing price hikes. The protesters were made up of estate workers, residents from displaced housing settlements and representatives from the civil societies. The rally was organised by 75 non-governmental organizations.
Peaceful sit in
The rally was to have started at 10.30am at the Chow Kit monorail station from where the protesters had planned to march towards Dataran Merdeka. However a strong police presence at the monorail station saw the protesters emerging at Maju Junction, located about 2km away from the original venue.
Here the protesters carried banners and placards, and chanted slogans for the government to introduce minimum wage and bring down the prices of essential goods.
"What do we want? Minimum wage, no GST, no subsidy cuts, free education," they chanted. Minimum wage was among the 18 demands that the protesters sought in their memorandum.
They then proceeded to Information, Telecommunication and Culture Ministry located in a nearby building and staged a peaceful sit-in. The organisers also managed to submit a memorandum to Malaysian Human Rights Commissioner James Nayagam at the entrance of the building.
It is learnt that Jeyakumar, Arutchelvan and the other protesters were brought to the Dang Wangi police station. Nineteen of the protesters were released on police bail at about 5pm but Arutchelvan was held back, apparently over an old theft case filed in Alor Star in 1995.
The 19 released protesters and a group of supporters were still waiting at the police station as at 6pm, urging for Arutchelvan to be released. "They are chanting his name and braving the rain," said an acvist from PSM.
No room for negotiation
Jeyakumar, speaking to reporters just before he was arrested, criticised the police for not allowing the protesters to march peacefully to highlight their plight.
"Why do they (police) have to arrest people for this?" he asked, adding that the protesters would continue with their protest despite the police action. He was soon arrested after that.
"We don't need to have police permit since the government recognises May Day as a public holiday. The police don't understand their role in a democracy," he said.
Prior to his arrest, he attempted to negotiate with the police. "We want half an hour only and then we'll disperse," he said. The police however demanded that the placards carried by protesters were brought down.
Valerie Mohan of the Woman's Aid Organisation, who is also a joint organiser of the rally, added: "They don't realise that what we are doing is for them as well."
The protesters dispersed at about 12 noon. Some of them proceeded to the police station in support of those arrested.
Minister on minimum wage
Nayagam meanwhile assured the protesters that their rights would be protected. "I will ensure the rights of those detained are protected. I will also ask the police to release the detainees and ensure that they are not harassed," said Nayagam.
In a related development, Human Resources Minister, Dr S Subramaniam tweeted on the minimum wage demand.
"Income should increase with productivity. Prices in Malaysia are competitive on a global scale. Shift of industry towards knowledge and technology will move wages up," he added.
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