PAA amendments to be tabled in Parliament this year - Fahmi

Summary

• The Peaceful Assembly (Amendment) Bill 2025 is expected to be tabled in Parliament in either June or October.

• The amendments aim to strengthen the public’s right to peaceful assembly by removing the requirement for rally organisers to obtain permission from a venue.

The Peaceful Assembly (Amendment) Bill 2025 is expected to be tabled in Parliament during the second or third sitting this year, according to government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil.

The communications minister said the policy decision was reached during the cabinet meeting today.

“One of the policy decisions made, brought by the Home Ministry, is on the government’s intention to amend the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012.

“This is as announced by the prime minister and home minister in Parliament.

“And we expect the amendment bill can be tabled either in the next session (in June) or at the latest by October,” said Fahmi during the weekly post-cabinet press conference in Putrajaya.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim told the Dewan Rakyat on Feb 13 that the government has agreed to amend the Peaceful Assembly Act and remove requirements for rally organisers to obtain permission from a venue owner.

Anwar at the time said the amendments would facilitate any groups with intentions to hold a peaceful assembly.

Further, Fahmi said Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail had informed the cabinet that 99 percent of applications under the PAA to hold peaceful assemblies between 2022 and 2024 had been approved.

“But we believe that the proposed amendments will strengthen the public’s right to peaceful assembly,” he added.

In February, Anwar indicated that proposed amendments will remove the current need for organisers to obtain approval from the premises owner, as mentioned under several sections of the PAA, including Section 11.

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