Why So Tough On Graft Rally Aliran Asks Saifuddin Fahmi

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Home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail (left) and communications minister Fahmi Fadzil owe the public an explanation, says Aliran.
PETALING JAYA: Two federal ministers have been urged to explain their “authoritarian opposition” to an anti-corruption rally that will be held today, in contrast to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s support of the event.
The civil society group Aliran said home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and communications minister Fahmi Fadzil owe the public an explanation as to why their stance against the Himpunan Rakyat Benci Rasuah conflicts with Anwar’s endorsement.
“For the rally organisers and advocates of freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, this was the response they had hoped for from a government that was propelled to power on the back of past street protests,” said Aliran.
The group said that if the two ministers maintained “an elegant silence” after being asked to explain, “many might think they ‘didn’t get the memo’ from the top”.
Rally-goers will first meet outside the Sogo shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur at 2.30pm before proceeding to Dataran Merdeka.
The organisers of the rally had been at loggerheads with the authorities over a requirement to obtain consent from Sogo and Kuala Lumpur City Hall for using public spaces as gathering points.
However, Anwar yesterday said the government had “no problem” with the event as it had already granted permission for the gathering. “Go on, protest corruption … if you want to rally, go ahead and rally,” he told reporters after Friday prayers.
On Tuesday, Saifuddin rejected claims by the rally’s organisers that there was no legal basis to a condition set by the police for prior consent to be obtained from the owner or occupier of the place of assembly.
On Wednesday, Fahmi, who is the government’s spokesman, said the rally organisers must adhere to the law and seek permission from the site owner in accordance with the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012.
City police chief Rusdi Isa said permission was needed as Dataran Merdeka had been gazetted as a venue for gatherings, with DBKL the designated owner of the venue. - FMT

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