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Much has transpired since the introduction of this bill. Please visit here   to have a first-hand look at it.

This is public information material, nothing to do with the OSA (Official Secrets Act) so don't be fearful of reading it.

Umno-led BN as usual, have dictated that their legal draftsmen copy and paste some archaic laws to cement this bill. Now the opposition is no better off than before what with the 30 days notice requirement, and fines.

Indeed the fine print of the bill is a total infringement of Article 5 and Article 10 of the constitution.

As for the other bodies like Suhakam and the Bar Council, they have failed to detail exactly how backward this proposed bill is - unless they feel laymen like you and me would not understand the nitty-gritty of a law that would actually take away any liberty left for us to voice out our concerns without fear and favor.

Leave it to Parliament to suffocate and strangle our freedom.

If you have a chance to look through the proposed bill, you will notice in Part II a 'street' protest is prohibited and see how it is defined in Interpretation (3).

In the same Interpretation (3) there is this thingy called "person who has interest" - see how far it is defined and in section (5) & (12) how broadly it is stretched.

Imagine, if you were to have a street protest, you would probably need to obtain permission from the street hawkers and if you don't, it would be against the law. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out how onerous this law will become in exercising fundamental liberty.

I think this is a single bill that takes us back before independence on the pretext of artificial freedom.

This bill is politically motivated, yet the opposition, nor the ultra vires media has not done enough to educate people beyond the typical political bashing by not addressing the major issues here.

This bill also gives the Home Ministry and the police unabated power over the public regarding their movements.

The bill is also full of such contradictory terms that it shows how inept are the BN-led Umno legal draftsmen and also the inefficiency of the opposition, NGO's and Bar Council in mounting a proper, meticulous challenge against Umno as well as in educating people on its detrimental effects in the long term.

I think it is up to us, as Malaysians, to read through this bill and voice our dissent in any form. Politicians come and go. But our rights must prevail by our equal participation against this bill.

I would suggest that this bill should be withdrawn in whole until and unless the Umno led government has consulted other stakeholders of the community such as the opposition, NGOs', and the Bar Council. as they also do represent a major party of the community.

I hope Malaysians will take the trouble to read through the bill and understand what it really entails for our own good.

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