Not everyone sees the Peaceful Assembly Bill, tabled in Parliament yesterday, as a bad move of the BN government to restrict freedom of movement.

The Bill is a “small but right step for our country”, Penang Gerakan Youth deputy chief H’ng Khoon Leng said today.

While several quarters would ridicule the Bill, H'ng said that although it was not perfect, it was a step toward the transformation the country was heading to.

“It (the Bill) acknowledges the right to hold demonstrations, yet protects the rights of some people who are against demonstrations,” he said.

NONE “For those who do not know, part of our Peaceful Assembly Bill is modelled on those of other countries, for example, from an Australian legislation of the same title,” he added.

H’ng ( left ) said that with this Bill, protesters would have the right to hold peaceful assemblies without a police permit.

However, he pointed out, several clauses in the Bill were not appropriate, for example, considering a school as not a suitable place to hold a peaceful assembly.

“It’s not fair to (Chief Minister) Lim Guan Eng and company, as he likes Han Chiang school. It is also not fair to Penang BN Youth, as we also want to use the same place,” he said, laughing.

As for the Bill stipulating that organisers have to be citizens above the age of 21, H’ng suggested that the minimum age should be 18 years old.

He proposed that the state government declares several sites as fit for peaceful assemblies, such as Komtar 3rd Floor (entrance to state government offices) and outside Maybank at Komtar, where protests are usually held.

'Make Penang assembly a venue as well'

He also suggested other sites for protests including the Penang Development Corporation offices in Bayan Baru, Esplanade open field opposite the local council building where the Speakers Square is located, Dewan Sri Pinang and the Penang State Legislative Assembly grounds.

The Bill was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz and is slated for debate tomorrow.

It will replace public assembly restrictions stipulated in the Police Act 1967, where amendments were also tabled to repeal corresponding provisions in the Police Act, including the requirement for a permit to hold an assembly.

Pakatan Rakyat leaders have condemned the Bill as “unfair and unconstitutional” and providing increased powers to the police, while Lim suggested that it should be renamed as the “Illegal Assembly Bill” .

Ghani: Make earlier and better preparations

Meanwhile, Penang’s most ardent organiser of street demonstrations against Lim and the state government does not see the newly-tabled Peaceful Assembly Bill as a big problem.

NONE Komtar Traders Association vice-president Mohamed Ghani Abdul Jiman ( right ) said that he does not mind the 30 days' notice period to the police to hold gatherings.

Ghani said those who wanted to protest, in line with procedures in the yet-to-be-approved Bill, would be able to make earlier and better preparations for their protests.

This, he said, was merely a procedure that could be easily complied with.

“It will only be a problem when the police disallow gatherings. Freedom of assembly must be guaranteed,” stressed Ghani, who organises protests at least once a month.

However, he said, if in any case the police objected to a protest, he hoped they would invite the organisers to discuss the matter.

“Perhaps, the police can invite all the relevant parties to discuss the problem which led to the necessity to hold the protest.

“Perhaps, after the discussion among the relevant parties, the problem can be resolved and we may not even need to organise a demonstration,” Ghani added.

On the clause in the Bill that bans street demonstrations, Ghani said he would wait to see how this would be implemented.

“If only 10 people want to demonstrate, must we still do it in a closed place, like in a stadium? I don’t think so,” he said.

“Anyway, this law is man-made, which means it can also be amended by humans,” he added.