Johor PKR has decried police investigations against its leaders as a plot to eventually disqualify them as future election candidates.

Johor PKR chief Hassan Karim said that since late last year, more than 10 of its leaders had been investigated or charged under Section 9(4) of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 (PAA), for allegedly failing to give police sufficient notice for an assembly.

These pertain to events held in solidarity with then-opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim after his Sodomy II conviction was upheld in February last year, and a series of ceramah in predominantly Malay rural areas in March this year.

“It is to threaten us. I see a pattern whereby many PKR leaders especially in Johor are being bought to court, charged, and subsequently disqualified as candidates.

“This is their motive - to disqualify potential candidates; leaders who can be good candidates in an election,” he told Malaysiakini today.

Under Article 47 and 48 of the Federal Constitution, a person sentenced to a prison sentence not less than one year, or a fine not less than RM2,000 may not stand for an election even if an appeal is still pending in court.

Those who had been investigated or charged include Hassan himself as the state chairperson, divisional leaders, and branch leaders, he said.

Among those who had been charged are Johor PKR election director Steven Chong, whose case is still pending in the Court of Appeal, and Hassan himself, who previously faced two sedition charges until one charge was dropped.

Those under investigation include state PKR deputy chief Jimmy Puah, vice-chief Rony Nurugan, secretary Mohd Kuzan Abu Bakar, and information chief Akmal Nasir.

The rallies in solidarity of Anwar were held on Feb 13 last year, after the Federal Court upheld the PKR de facto chief’s five-year prison sentence on Feb 10 of the same year.

As for the ceramah in March this year, Hassan said the series was dubbed 'Jelajah Melayu Bermaruah' (the Dignified Malay Roadshow).

He said notice had already been given to the police, but they countered that it was given less than 10 days ahead of the event, as required under Section 9(1) of the PAA.

This is despite a Court of Appeal ruling that Section 9(5) of the PAA, which provides for the enforcement for Section 9(1), is unconstitutional and hence null and void.

Hassan added that PKR was only conducting the normal activities of a legitimate political party.

“These ceramah were held in houses and in front of houses. It’s not like there was violence or anything, just a normal talk,” he said.

The Court of Appeal had also made a separate ruling that Section 9(5) of the PAA is constitutional.

The two contradictory decisions have confounded lawyers.