Moratorium On Notice Requirement For Rallies Says Saifuddin

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The Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 will be amended to make it easier for the public to hold gatherings, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said today.
PETALING JAYA: The government will place a moratorium on Section 11 of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012, which mandates that organisers seek the consent of venue owners or occupants before holding an assembly at a particular venue.
Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said this was in view of the government’s plan to amend the section.
“While waiting for the amendment to be made, the government will implement a moratorium on the enforcement of Section 11 of the Act.
“This means that no action will be taken on the organisers of any assembly until the amendments are approved (by the Dewan Rakyat),” he said at a press conference in Putrajaya.
Earlier, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the government had agreed to amend the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 to make it easier for the public to hold gatherings.
The current law stipulates that organisers need to notify the police of an assembly five days in advance to allow authorities to manage security, crowd control, and traffic.
Anwar added that ongoing investigations into recent rallies, including an anti-corruption rally in Kuala Lumpur last month, would be halted with no further action to be taken.
Saifuddin said the police received 10,000 notifications of assemblies in 2023, of which 98% went on without restrictions. In 2024, the cops received more than 7,000 assembly notifications, with 99% proceeding without issues.
“Only 1% to 2% of assemblies faced issues because the organisers did not obtain the permission of the venue owner, not because the government barred them from gathering.
“Therefore, the government agreed to amend the Act to overcome this venue issue.”
The minister added that 1,787 investigation papers were opened in relation to assemblies last year, with only 30 cases leading to charges being filed.
This, he said, proved that Putrajaya was not hindering the people’s right to assemble. - FMT

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