Bersih to meet police over tomorrow’s planned gathering

PETALING JAYA: The Coalition for Clean & Fair Election (Bersih) will meet with the police on Monday (Feb 26) to hand over their notice of tomorrow’s planned gathering.

Bersih chairman Muhammad Faisal Abdul Aziz said that the meeting had already been planned previously.

“Handing over memorandums is a customary practice in democratic nations, including Malaysia. Additionally, the police have previously assisted in facilitating such processes even without notice given.

“What adds to our surprise is that this statement comes under a reformist government. Nevertheless, we intend to deliver the notice to the Dang Wangi district police headquarters around 1pm as planned,” he said in a statement on Monday (Feb 26).

He emphasised that the Federal Constitution guaranteed the right to assemble peacefully.

“The role of the government and PDRM is to ensure that the rakyat can exercise our constitutional rights freely and peacefully. There should be no state-imposed restrictions on the event scheduled for tomorrow.

“We would like to emphasise that the ultimate goal of tomorrow’s action is to urge the government to fulfil their promises and implement 100% reform.

It is imperative that the government demonstrates its commitment by providing clear roadmaps and timelines outlining the direction of electoral and institutional reforms,” he said.

Bersih previously announced that they plan to hold a gathering at Parliament on Tuesday (Feb 27) as part of their #Reformasi100peratus campaign.

City police chief Comm Datuk Allaudeen Abdul Majid, in a statement yesterday, said that no notice has been given to the police as per Section 9 (1) of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 as of then.

He added that proceeding without a notice of assembly would be an offence under the same act.