'World's best democracy' won't come on silver platter

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YOURSAY ‘When the legal fraternity makes a move like this, something must be very wrong with the country and the entire system.’

More than 1,000 march against Assembly Bill

your say Hermit: Who said lawyers are only interested in money? Lawyers like S Ambiga and the like are torch-bearers lighting up the spirit of freedom so that citizens could taste the fruits of democracy.

The world's best democracy does not come on a silver platter. Arab Spring may not come to this land but our own torrential downpour could flood the streets with citizens demanding for their basic rights as enshrined in the constitution.

Citizens with God-gifted brains do not mobilise street demonstrations every other day for no good purpose. Street demonstrations are a last resort to drive the message over a proven cause, such as proposed bills infringing on the basic rights of the citizens, exorbitant rise in price of essential goods and services severely eroding the purchasing power of the citizens, and any other omission or commission which could have far detrimental effects on the public at large.

Syabas, to the lawyers and those who accompanied them in the march to Parliament against the Assembly Bill. These are the citizens who not only have exercised their basic rights as enshrined in the constitution, but have upheld utmost to their human decency in spite of the provocations.

AkuMelayuIslam: Allah akan sentiasa bersama orang yang berjuang melawan kekejaman dan salahguna kuasa. Semoga Allah beri hidayah kepada mereka yang bersubahat dengan undang-undang penindasan.

    

Malayasian: When the legal fraternity makes a move like this, something must be very wrong with the country and the entire system.

Manjit Bhatia: The Bar Council boasted it has a 14,000-strong membership. So where were the others? As for those 'ordinary' Malaysians who have been loudly claiming that they want to bring down Umno-BN regime in a jiffy: where were they?

This is what I expected when I said a few days ago that I await with bated breath for this march to take place. Isn't it clear now that Malaysians are all talk, for when it counts, or should count, they mysteriously disappear?

I had hoped that the Bersih 2.0 rally was the turning point in Malaysia's political history. Now, perhaps Bersih 3.0 (or Bersih 2.1) would make amends for the poor turnout at the lawyers' march.

But I won't hold my breath again. I have been saying it for years that Malaysians are generally balls-less. You proved it once more today.

Gerard Samuel Vijayan:

For the armchair critics, I was present at the march and more than 2,000 members of the Bar and the public turned out for this peaceful protest that took place with the full cooperation of the police.

The march only started at 12.30 pm as the lawyers were slow in arriving at the venue since most of them had court cases to attend. Even at the height of the judicial crisis in 1988 not more than 3,000 members of the Bar turned up for any of the EGMs called then to denounce the executive interference with the judiciary.

Given that it was a weekday and in the morning when most lawyers are in court and the short notice from the Bar Council, the turnout was very good.

I concede that there is a great deal of apathy and disinterest among lawyers when it comes to such protests for various reasons - the majority just like the public, prefer to express their views at the ballot box.

And given the overwhelming support from the motorists along the route of the march, the public know what to do come GE13.

P Dev Anand Pillai:

Good job, Bar Council chairperson Lim Chee Wee for leading the members in the march to Parliament. Who knows, it may become like Pakistan, where lawyers launched a protest following the sacking of the chief justice and it reverberated throughout the nation.

Swkdayaks:

Syabas to the Bar Council for proving clearly that assemblies can indeed be peaceful. It’s those who have something to hide from the public who are opposed to such a peaceful assembly.

The history of peaceful assemblies tells us that those who caused or created or resorted to violent or damage during peaceful assembly are ‘sponsored agents’ or ‘paid infiltrators’ of those who opposed peaceful assemblies because they have something to hide from the public at large.

Jbsuara:

The independence of our beloved country is based on street demonstrations and the peaceful protests around Malaya against the British colonial rule.

Today the brave people of the Malaysian Bar and other activists have marched peacefully to demand that this right is given back to the rakyat of Malaysia.

    

Kanninneh: Today is a historic day for Malaysia and we must congratulate Lim Chee Wee and the Bar Council for protecting our basic human rights which the government wants to take away from us.

The government is in the hurry to bulldoze the bill through and make Malaysia into a police state.

 


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