PETALING JAYA: The authorities should not take any legal action against "Save Malaysia" rally participants, says former deputy law minister Mohamed Hanipa Maidin.
He said that he used to defend many Pakatan Harapan leaders against the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012.
"After all, most Cabinet members are 'graduates' of the 'School of Peaceful Assembly' and I used to be their lawyer," said Hanipa in a Facebook post Sunday (Sept 17).
On Saturday (Sept 16), the Save Malaysia rally concluded without any untoward incident.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Comm Datuk Allaudeen Abdul Majid said although the rally failed to comply with provisions of the Peaceful Assembly Act, the police took every necessary step to ensure that it ran smoothly.
“The rally began at around 1.15pm at Masjid Jamek Kampung Baru and ended near Sogo Kuala Lumpur at around 3.30pm.
“Based on our initial investigations, 16 individuals gave speeches during the rally. A police report was also lodged by the organisers at the Dang Wangi police headquarters during the rally,” he told a press conference on Saturday.
He said the police, being enforcers of the law, merely followed the laws stipulated under the Peaceful Assembly Act.
“Section 9 of the Act states that a notice must be given by the organisers to the police, and a form can be found in the Fourth Schedule under Section 10 of the same Act.
“In the form, an organiser must be named. They must receive approval from the premises owner and written approval must also be attached with the form,” he said.
Comm Allaudeen then added that the police shoulder a big responsibility and must also get the views of property owners in the area prior to the event being held.
