Outrage over new Malaysian protest law

KUALA LUMPUR—Malaysia’s political opposition on Wednesday called on the government to withdraw a proposed new law it says cracks down on the right to peaceful protest rather than safeguards it.

Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is widely tipped to call snap polls within months, in September unexpectedly announced plans to scrap a range of decades-old draconian laws long criticized as oppressive and outdated.

But critics reacted angrily after the government tabled the Peaceful Assembly Bill on Tuesday, saying that rather than boosting civil liberties the new law would suffocate legitimate dissent.

Opposition leaders called for the legislation to be withdrawn before it is debated Thursday. The government has the necessary majority to pass the bill in parliament without the opposition’s support.

“This bill gives absolute powers to the police… This is not democratic,” opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was quoted by local media as saying.

Bar council president Lim Chee Wee said the proposed law was more restrictive than the present one and needed to be reviewed.
“The Bar is surprised that a ‘street protest’ is prohibited, as it is a form of assembly in motion, or procession, that is already legally recognized,” he said.

Although the new rule allows gatherings without a police permit, it prohibits street protests and bars any gathering within a 50-meter zone around “prohibited areas” such as schools, hospitals and places of worship.

Organizers must now also give 30 days’ notice before gatherings can proceed, and police can prevent them taking place if they object.

Protesters will be liable for fines of up to 20,000 ringgit ($6,300) for taking part in assemblies that violate the law.

N. Surendren, vice president of Anwar’s Keadilan party, said in a statement that the bill had made freedom of assembly “meaningless” in breach of the federal constitution.

“It is clear that the real intention of Najib and his government is to make it as difficult and burdensome as possible for the people to peacefully assemble,” he said.

The reforms come as Najib tries to boost his uncertain re-election hopes, four months after police used tear gas and water cannon to crush a street rally calling for electoral reforms.

Rally organizer Ambiga Sreenivasan said the proposed law “will only further stymie legitimate dissent in our country.”

Last month, Najib introduced legislation to repeal two security laws and set free 125 people held under them.

This marked the first step in his avowed campaign to repeal or soften authoritarian laws such as the Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows detention without trial and has been used against opponents of the government.