DAP will attempt to sidestep the authorities by changing the format of its Kuching event, slated for tomorrow, which was not granted a permit by the police.

chong chieng jen interview 141108 02 "Instead of giving talks, the speakers will be present at the coffee house and members of the public can pose questions," said DAP vice chairperson and Bandar Kuching MP Chong Chieng Jen ( left ).

The party had initially planned to host the "Land and Rakyat" seminar on land issues, but was denied a permit as the venue was regarded as inappropriate for the event.

Contacted today, Chong said that the police cannot disrupt the event, which is expected to attract a few hundred urban dwellers, as "you don't need a permit to sit down and have coffee."

"They cannot chase us out of the coffee house because all we will be doing is sit there and answer questions," he said.

Sparse traffic

According to the parliamentarian, the reason of traffic flow given by the police doesn't hold water as the coffee house is located in an area where traffic is sparse.

As such, he said, the move appears to be politically-motivated and is a "form of suppression" by the BN ruling government in anticipation of the upcoming state election.

"The police appear to just be trying to interfere with politics...or are acting on the instruction of some political party.

"Land is a very important issue and there are a lot of scandals affecting BN leaders, so the more people come the more they will know and BN will lose support," he said.

Chong added that the event could not be moved to a different venue as the notice from the police had come at the last minute.