The Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 (PAA) guarantees freedom of expression through the proper channels, while ensuring that public order is unaffected so as to protect the rights and freedom of others as well, Kuala Lumpur chief police officer Mohmad Salleh said today.

He said the act was formulated to ensure that the freedom of individuals to gather peacefully in accordance with the right enshrined in Article 10 of the federal constitution.

Nevertheless, he said, certain quarters deliberately refused to understand the noble intention behind the formulation of the act and attempted to instil a negative impression on the people with regards to the act and the police who try to enforce it.

"The police will not resort to any action if a gathering complies with the conditions contained in the act," he told Bernama.

As such, Mohmad advised the people to read and understand the essence (conditions) of the act, available on the Internet, so that they would not easily blame the authorities if any gathering triggered aggressive incidents.

The objective of the act, as set out in Section 2, provides for the right of citizens to organise and participate in peaceful assemblies subject to restrictions regarded as appropriate in a democratic society for the sake of national security and the protection of the rights and freedom of others.  

Section 4, among others, sets out that the right to assemble does not apply to non-citizens and street-protests involving children.

"There are people who do not read the facts and then get easily influenced by the false allegations of certain quarters," Mohmad said.

He said that this gave a negative impression to the authorities tasked with safeguarding peace and public order.

On April 28 last year, the government incurred a loss of RM1.8 million as a result of damage to police and public vehicles following a gathering organised by a non-governmental organisation backed by opposition political parties at Dataran Merdeka, which turned violent.

    

Police detained 513 of the participants of the gathering after they crashed through the police barricades at Dataran Merdeka in violation of a court order prohibiting public presence at the square between April 28 and May 1.   

Various quarters, including petty traders, owners of business premises, visitors and NGOs, objected to the gathering because it had jeopardised their daily routine.

Following the incident, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, 64, and several other individuals were charged in court on May 22 last year, the first case under Section 4 (2) (c) of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012.

- Bernama

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