While Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil expressed distress over the involvement of minors in street rallies, Pakatan Rakyat leader Elizabeth Wong countered back.

According to Wong, Shahrizat's statement "revealed the stunning superficiality of her understanding of the democratic process and the rule of law."

On Saturday, the Abolish ISA Movement (GMI by its Malay abbreviation) and Majlis Permuafakatan Ummah (Pewaris) staged two separate gatherings in Kuala Lumpur to voice their protest and support for the Internal Security Act respectively.

The rallies were held to mark the 49th anniversary of the passage of the ISA.

rafidah shahrizat wanita umno mt pwtc 021208 shahrizat In a press statement, Shahrizat had said that her ministry was concerned over GMI's act of allowing minors to participate in the unauthorised rally to the extent of being arrested.

"Their (GMI's) actions go against the laws contained in the Child Act 2001.

"This act does not allow any form of exploitation of children by any party in any form of unauthorised assemblies which may expose the child to danger." she said.

The mentioned act defines a child as a person below the age of 18.

Shahrizat also stressed that a guardian of a minor could face fines of not more than RM20,000 or up to 10 years in jail or both if the guardian exposed the minor under his or her care to any form of physical danger.

Get the police to comply

However, Wong disagreed with Shahrizat.

The Bukit Lanjan assemblyperson and Selangor exco claimed that public gatherings are a constitutional right of all Malaysians.

Wong said if Shahrizat was concerned about the safety of the minors, the violence of the police against the protestors should have been condemned.

"Instead of ensuring that the police complies with the Child Act 2001 and United Nations International Convention on Children's Rights, she (Shahrizat) spreads the outlandish lie that children were used as shields.

"This blatant falsehood serves as a Barisan Nasional spin to portray the parents among the demonstrators as cruel," she said.

"Instead of being worried about the welfare of young Malaysians arrested, Sharizat now chooses to further the lack of compassion by demanding for the arrest of their parents," she added.

During the ISA rallies, a total of 589 people were detained , out of which 44 of them were juveniles.

Twenty are still studying in secondary schools, while seven are university students.