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Pesaka sent show-cause letter over red shirt rally

The Youth and Sports Ministry has sent a letter to the National Silat Federation (Pesaka) asking for explanation on why they organised the Sept 16 red shirt rally.

"We have sent them a letter, I don't have an exact date but it was very recently," Deputy Youth and Sports Minister M Saravanan told reporters at the parliament lobby today.

He said they have yet to get a reply, and will inform the media when they get one.

Previously in a written parliamentary reply, Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said Pesaka risks being deregistered if they are found to have violated laws under the Sports Development Act 1997 for organising a politically-motivated rally.

Khairy had said the person in charge can be jailed up to six months.

Sports bodies are only allowed to organise competitions, seminars, clinics, courses for the purpose of sending participants to competitions or events, as well as any sports-related activities, he said in a parliamentary written reply yesterday.

He had also said the Sports Commissioner, which supervises the governance of Pesaka as a sports body, can cancel or suspend its registration through the power stipulated under Section 20 of the Act.

On Sept 16, some 30,000 people hit the streets as a counter to the Bersih 4 protest on Aug 30 and 31, which called for scandal-plagued Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to resign.

The counter-rally was organised by Umno figures but the party itself sought to distance itself, with Pesaka stepping in to act as the 'official' organiser.

The rally was marred by violence as protesters tried to break into Petaling Street, forcing police to disperse the crowd using water cannons.

Several incidences of hate speech were also recorded during the protest which have since gone viral on the internet.

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