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New bill courts bouquets and brickbats
Free Malaysia Today - November 22, 2011
Although welcoming the government's effort to revise restrictive laws, Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) central committee member Dr Michael Jeyakumar criticised the proposal to slap a hefty fine on those who bring their children in tow for such assemblies.
"Poor families cannot afford day care. Say if they want to send a memo to the chief minister's house to complain about their housing conditions, they cannot afford child care. If the women come out (to protest) who is going to look after their children?" he told FMT.
The new Bill proposes that those who recruit or bring children below the age of 15 for gatherings would be fined a maximum of RM20,000.
Jeyakumar said the government was "making the same mistake" of "they know best" as none of the groups that frequently organised protests were consulted when drafting the Bill.
"They should know which are the groups (that often hold assemblies) PSM, Jerit, Perkasa. What is wrong with having a meeting with us and consulting us and asking us what we would like to change," added the Sungai Siput MP.
Citing the list of prohibited places to hold assemblies, Jeyakumar criticised the new Bill as being restrictive.
"Hospitals and fire stations (being on the list) is fine. But it is stated that the minister can add more places to the list and places such as ministries and embassies are not stated (in the Bill)," he said.
Section 26 of the proposed Bill stated that the minister may amend the Schedules in the Bill by publishing a Gazzette on the matter.
"The government Gazzette comes out every two weeks. So within a month, the minister may be able to add more places which are prohibited," said Jeyakumar. He added that the Bill should be taken back to the drawing board.
Guan Eng calls it 'empty gesture'
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng described the Bill as an "empty gesture" which placed future restrictions on civil liberties. The Bagan MP said it would be more apt to call the Bill the "Illegal Assembly Bill" due to the numerous restrictions.
Taking a swipe at the prohibited places, Lim said: "You cannot gather in schools or kindergartens, or places of worship. The only thing we have more than places of worship are petrol stations and there also we cannot gather."
When pointed out by a journalist that the Bill allowed for gatherings to take place in stadiums, Lim argued that not all assemblies were big enough to be held in stadiums.
He said that there were many cases where smaller groups wished to voice their discontent and a stadium would not be the most appropriate location.
Lim also defended the right of the people to assemble. "In a month there is almost two to three assemblies against me in Penang, as long as it is peaceful it's okay," he said.
Perkasa will comply
Giving the Bill the thumbs up was Perkasa chief and Independent Pasir Mas MP Ibrahim Ali. "Last time you needed a permit, now you just need to fill a form to hold an assembly. The government is keeping up with the times and demands to strengthen democracy," he said.
He also said that Perkasa, an organisation which is no stranger to protests, would hold all its rallies in a stadium from now onwards. "There are so many stadiums in Malaysia, we will comply with the Bill," he added.
According to Ibrahim, restrictions were important as the Malaysian society was "not yet ready" for full-fledged freedom.
Deputy Higher Education Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said the Bill was "progressive" and that the government was "forward looking". "It is different from the old way of thinking where assemblies were like an allergy. It was as though the government was allergic to the word 'assembly'. But at least now, it is a step forward," he said.
Many MPs, however, chose not comment as they had yet to study the Bill but a heated exchange is expected when the debates commence.
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