Bersih 3.0, the planned third rally for clean and fair elections on April 28, may have hit a snag, with a minister saying that the venue cannot be used for a gathering, even a peaceful one.

NONE “Dataran Merdeka is not a gazetted area for peaceful assembly,” de facto law minister Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz ( right ) told reporters in the Parliament lobby today.

He was asked to respond to electoral reform coalition Bersih, which announced this morning that it would proceed with another massive rally in Kuala Lumpur.

It believes that recommendations by the parliamentary select committee (PSC) on electoral reform have failed to address key reforms it has been pressing to implement.

NONE In an immediate reaction, Bersih joint chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan ( left ) said: “We will discuss with the police on this.”

The Peaceful Assembly Act 2011 allows public gatherings under certain conditions but prohibits these from being held near locations, such as near places of worship and schools.

Under the Act, the home minister has the discretion to declare an area as gazetted for public gatherings and to degazette it at will.

Asked about a PSC recommendation to institute a permanent parliamentary committee to oversee the implementation of the electoral reform proposals, Nazri said it would have to wait for cabinet approval.

"We have yet to discuss the matter, but it will be discussed at the next cabinet meeting," he said.

PSC chief Maximus Ongkili had said yesterday that the committee wants the permanent committee to be set up to ensure that the 22 recommendations are followed through.

Bersih had held two massive reallies previously, pushing for electoral reforms. its first rally in 2007 was credited by some as helping tip the scales in the opposition’s favour, resulting in the 2008 political tsunami.

The NGO’s second rally held last year galvanised civil society to its support after police measures against the rally were deemed too harsh. The PSC formed shortly after was said by many as a damage control reaction by the government to mitigate the public outcry.