Sabah Authorities Were Heavy Handed Say Anti Graft Rally Organisers

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(FMT) – A coalition comprising NGOs, a political party, and Bersih accused the local authorities in Sabah last night of heavy-handedness during an anti-corruption rally in the state’s capital of Kota Kinabalu.
Sekretariat Himpun claimed that a student activist’s vehicle was splashed with acid at the car park of Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK) and witnessed by the activist’s friends.
Another rally-goer was left shaken after being pulled aside by a person believed to be an officer who refused to produce any identification, the organisers said.
The coalition said the authorities’ action was not just a form of intimidation towards undergraduates who wanted to speak out against corruption, but was also an attack on their rights to assemble and freedom of speech.
“We view such incidents seriously and call upon the police to investigate the matter immediately. The failure to act on such incidents would only normalise violence against activists,” it said in a statement.
Among the organisations in Sekretariat Himpun are Parti Sosialis Malaysia, electoral watchdog Bersih, and human rights group Suara Rakyat Malaysia.
In Kota Kinabalu yesterday, the Gempur Rasuah 2.0 rally organised by several Universiti Malaysia Sabah students ended with the burning of a caricature of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
According to Malaysiakini, the rally began at about 1pm on Saturday and continued until 11am yesterday with over 100 participants who called for action against the Sabah Water Department.
Separately, Mandiri, a youth NGO, claimed that DBKK had shooed away rally-goers and ordered the removal of banners despite the gathering being held at a public place.
In a statement, Mandiri said DBKK’s actions showed that it was ignorant of the Peaceful Assembly Act or had chosen to ignore it. The group also accused the police of failing to facilitate the rally, despite being notified of the event.
FreeMalaysiaToday
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