Malaysia to ease rally rules after critics slam probes into peaceful student protest

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia is set to ease rules covering peaceful rallies in the country, after the government drew flak for investigating protesters at a recent anti-graft rally in Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim told Parliament on Feb 13 that the government will table an amendment to the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 and remove Section 11, which stipulates that rally organisers must obtain permission from premise owners before any rallies can take place at the owners’ venues.

“We have decided to amend (the Act), and the police have been informed that while the amendment is being tabled, a moratorium (on Section 11) will be enforced,” said Datuk Seri Anwar.

“I guarantee that from now, peaceful assemblies will no longer need any permission (from the venue owners), but the police must be informed five days before the event so they may facilitate and ensure the safety of the participants and control traffic flow.”

He said Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail will table the amendment in the next parliamentary session, which will be held from June 23 to July 31.

On Jan 25, dozens of mostly youth protesters marched peacefully for 1km in downtown Kuala Lumpur in the “People Hate Corruption” rally, seeking to pressure the Premier to speed up the pace of reforms and crack down on corruption.

In particular, they were protesting against the alleged lenient treatment of public figures like Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi, who had dozens of graft charges against him dropped, and former prime minister Najib Razak, who had his jail sentence linked to the 1MDB scandal halved.

The crowd had marched from outside Sogo shopping centre to the historic Merdeka Square about 1km away. The crowd had swelled to around 200 by the end of the march.

The organisers did not obtain permission beforehand from Kuala Lumpur City Hall, which owns and manages Merdeka Square, in breach of Section 11.

Following the rally, on Feb 2, the police recorded statements from 10 university students who had organised the protest.

Mr Anwar also told Parliament on Feb 13 that the government will cease any ongoing probes against the students.

The Peaceful Assembly Act was legislated during Najib’s tenure as prime minister from 2009 to 2018, to tighten rules on public protests. His administration was marked by several mega rallies organised by electoral reform group Bersih to protest against unfair electoral practices and the 1MDB scandal.

Mr Anwar and members of the ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition were no strangers to street rallies when they were in the opposition.

They joined the Bersih rallies, and during a Bersih 2.0 protest in 2011, Mr Anwar was hospitalised because of a minor injury. His then bodyguard Fayyadh Afiq was also hospitalised due to a broken cheekbone as he was hit with a tear gas cannister while protecting Mr Anwar.

Sunway University Professor Wong Chin Huat, who was also a key leader in Bersih, told The Straits Times it is critical for the government to stop silencing the public by cracking down on protests. This is especially since Mr Anwar will face several state elections by 2026 and a general election by early 2028.

“The faster it works, the better it is for the government. There are two simple things that most Malaysians understand and despise – not walking the talk and having double standards.

“It’s important for the government to save its reformist image and also prevent any harassment and arrests by the police that paint the prime minister, the home minister, and the government in a bad light,” he said.

Analyst Bridget Welsh told ST that activists, the public and Mr Anwar’s supporters would welcome the amendment.

“This measure is in the spirit of democratic reforms and would be welcomed by Pakatan Harapan’s political base. It also shows response to criticism by core supporters,” said the honorary research associate at the University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute-Malaysia.