Ex-Bersih leader: I attended hundreds of rallies, none were allowed

Summary

• Ex-Bersih leader Mandeep Singh stresses that the right to assemble is guaranteed under the Federal Constitution.

• Mandeep says he has attended many rallies, but none have ever been allowed.

Former Bersih leader Mandeep Singh has emphasised that the right to assemble is guaranteed under the Federal Constitution.

“The right to assemble is a fundamental right of every citizen,” he said on X.

Referencing the birth of the reformasi movement in support of Anwar Ibrahim, Mandeep said that since 1998, Sogo has been a place for the public to gather and assemble.

“I have attended hundreds of rallies, I have led many, yet none have ever been allowed,” he added.

Mandeep, who is now an aide to Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo, has been arrested on multiple occasions in the past.

In 2016, he was arrested together with then-Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah ahead of the Bersih 5 gathering.

Consent required

Mandeep was responding to the Madani government’s stance on street rallies, which critics argue contradicts the position previously held by Anwar and Pakatan Harapan regarding such freedoms.

This morning, government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil emphasised that the requirement for rally organisers to obtain consent from property owners is clearly stipulated under the law.

He urged all Malaysians, regardless of political affiliation, to respect and adhere to this rule.

Previously, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail defended the police directive requiring rally organisers to obtain consent from property owners, as outlined in the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012.

The remarks follow the organisers of the Jan 25 anti-graft rally expressing surprise over the police directive.

The rally is scheduled to begin outside the Sogo shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur before proceeding to Dataran Merdeka.

Yesterday, Parti Sosialis Malaysia deputy chairperson S Arutchelvan, who is also a veteran of street rallies, questioned if Anwar and Harapan leaders had sought permission for their rallies in the past.

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