Youths break fast in front of Parliament in protest
Some 100 youths broke fast in front of Parliament yesterday to demand the reconvening of legislative meetings.
This was the second protest in front of Parliament organised by a group known as Sekretariat Solidariti Rakyat (SSR) - an ad hoc umbrella body for youth groups.
Protesters also demanded the government to implement the lowering of the voting age to 18, better...
Some 100 youths broke fast in front of Parliament yesterday to demand the reconvening of legislative meetings.
This was the second protest in front of Parliament organised by a group known as Sekretariat Solidariti Rakyat (SSR) - an ad hoc umbrella body for youth groups.
Protesters also demanded the government to implement the lowering of the voting age to 18, better known as Undi18, as required by law. This was the crux of SSR's first protest on March 27.
This time around, SSR added safe education, economic sustainability, recognition of the rights of Sabah and Sarawak, as well as for the law to be applied fairly in its demands.
The group marched from Tugu Negara to the gates of Parliament where they gathered for speeches before Muslim participants broke fast.
Tharma Pillai, who leads a pressure group on Undi18, said that youths are angry because their suffering has exacerbated after a year of facing the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Businesses are closing and the unemployment rate is at 4.8 percent. What saddens us most is that the Covid-19 protocols are still a mess.
"Yet, there is clearly double standards in terms of enforcement because ministers and the elite are not punished, while normal folks are saddled with huge fines," he added.
Other groups represented at the protest were Bersih, Borneo Komrad, Parti Sosialis Malaysia, Suaram, Universiti Malaya Association of New Youths (Umany), along with the youth wings of Parti Pejuang Tanahair (Pejuang), DAP and the Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (Muda).
When met on the sidelines of the protest, Pejuang president Mukhriz Mahathir said that the Committee for Ending the Emergency Declaration was still waiting on a date from Istana Negara for its audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
"We just have to wait. We will be relieved once the palace manages to arrange a date," he added.
The committee, which comprises opposition lawmakers, had petitioned the Agong for an audience to state their case on why the emergency - which has been used to suspend Parliament - should be lifted.
On April 22, the committee revealed that it received correspondence from the Agong's private secretary that an audience would be granted at a later date.
The Agong had consented to Putrajaya's request for a proclamation of emergency on Jan 12, on grounds that it was necessary to stem the spread of Covid-19. The emergency is set to expire on Aug 1.
Apart from the suspension of Parliament, emergency laws have been used to increase fines for those who breach Covid-19 safety protocols and allowed the government to use certain funds without legislative oversight.
