UMNO's Shahidan Kassim takes a Human Rights position compared to DAP, PKR,..PH on Right to Assemble Peacefully

PKR, DAP and PAS opposed the enactment of the Peaceful Assembly Act, and now the Pakatan Harapan(including DAP and PKR) seems to want to keep that ACT which makes peaceful assembly NO MORE a human right but permissible if the police/government says it is OK.

The Act also creates new criminal offences...It is like ISA(or now POCA and POTA) where the police releases someone with all kinds of restrictions and conditions as the police wants - and if you break the police conditions, you commit a crime. Same situation with peaceful assembly, that Act gives the police absolute power to impose all kinds of conditions/restrictions..

PEACEFUL ASSEMBLY is not a human right if must get police permission to do a Peaceful Assembly - Authorisation Requirements makes peace assembly not a Right - UN - see SUHAKAM and HAKAM statements

Now, BN MP Shahidan Kassim is right - that draconian Act must be repealed...full stop.

See earlier post(with the Peaceful Assembly Act for your reading pleasure) -  Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 - PH amendments FAIL to restore right to freedom of assembly? - see also MADPET's Media Statement that explains why the Act needs to be abolished..

Repeal draconian Peaceful Assembly Act 2012, not amend – Respect Right to Peaceful Assembly

-Speedy ‘secret’ passing Peaceful Assembly (Amendment) Bill 2019 unacceptable -

 

'No communists, fiery opposition'- BN MP wants Peaceful Assembly Act repealed

Kow Gah Chie  |  Published: 4 Jul 2019, 5:51 pm  |  Modified: 4 Jul 2019, 5:51 pm

   

A BN lawmaker has called for Putrajaya to abolish the Peaceful Assembly Act instead of amending it in Parliament.

“What the people want is for the Peaceful Assembly (Amendment) Bill to be abolished so they can hold protests freely,” Shahidan Kassim (BN-Arau) debated the bill at the policy stage at Dewan Rakyat today.

He said that any formulation or abolishment of law should be done according to the situation of the nation.

“During the communist era, the government came out with the Internal Security Act as the people then had communist characteristics.

“During our (BN government) time, the opposition was a bit fired up, so we have this (Peaceful Assembly) Act,” Shahidan said.

“Entering the New Malaysia era, since everything is fine, we should abolish the Act.”

Shahidan questioned the need to debate about the bill which only proposed minor changes, including reducing the 10 days’ notice to the police for holding an assembly to seven days.

He ridiculed the government for lowering the voting age to 18 but only allowing a 21-year-old to organise a protest under PAA.

“People will laugh at us,” he said, urging the government to repeal the bill during the committee stage (third reading).

The Arau MP added that the government should liberate the people from this bill as the more the government imposed restrictions with law, the more people will attempt to break it.

On July 1, the government sought to amend the Peaceful Assembly Bill which will decriminalise street protests as part of the government's promised legal reforms.- Malaysiakini, 4/7/2019