LFL tells govt staff to defy chief sec's rally warning, to provide legal aid

Summary

• Lawyers for Liberty has urged civil servants to defy the chief secretary’s warning against joining Saturday’s anti-Anwar rally, with director Zaid Malek calling the directive “unlawful”.

• The controversy stems from Chief Secretary to the Government Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar’s reminder that civil servants shouldn’t participate in the July 26 “Himpunan Turun Anwar” rally.

• LFL is prepared to offer legal assistance to civil servants who face reprisal for joining the rally.

Government servants have been urged to defy a recent warning from the chief secretary of the government against joining the scheduled Himpunan Turun Anwar rally this week.

In a statement, Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) director Zaid Malek labelled Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar’s warning on Sunday, as “unlawful” and a “desperate move” by the government.

“The chief secretary’s statement lacks any basis in law and is plainly contrary to the Federal Constitution. Article 10(1)(a) and (b) of our Constitution guarantees the right to freedom of expression and the right to peacefully assemble.

“This is the highest law of the land, which Shamsul is sworn to uphold. Has he forgotten his oath to do so? It is his duty to protect civil servants, not to oppress at the behest of the government.

“As such, we urge all civil servants to ignore the unlawful directive given by the chief secretary of the government. It is legal and appropriate for civil servants to participate in the upcoming rally this Saturday, should they wish to do so,” Zaid said.

“Should any civil servant be subjected to any form of action for exercising their constitutional rights on Saturday, we are prepared to provide assistance to them,” he added.

Bernama yesterday reported that Shamsul reminded civil servants not to participate in the rally on July 26.

He reportedly said that it is inappropriate for civil servants to join such a gathering, as doing so would be inconsistent with the principle of “loyalty to king and country”, as enshrined in the Rukun Negara.

“They shouldn’t go. They are civil servants, (so) how can they join? Every day, every week, we recite the loyalty to king and country pledge. Have they forgotten? Be loyal to the king and the country,” he was quoted as saying.

‘Absurd, PM is not a monarch’

However, Zaid slammed the statement as being “plainly absurd”.

“To criticise the prime minister is the democratic right of civil servants, not an act of disloyalty to the country.

“The prime minister is an elected official, not a monarch. His mandate is given by the rakyat, and can also be taken away by the rakyat, as is their democratic right,” he said.

Zaid reminded the government that criticism, dissent, and protest are inherent to democracy and should not be characterised as disloyalty, which would represent a fundamental misunderstanding of Malaysia’s constitutional framework.

The protest scheduled for 2pm in downtown Kuala Lumpur on Saturday is the apex of a series of smaller demonstrations PAS and Perikatan Nasional have been organising, calling for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s resignation.

Earlier, PAS ulama chief Ahmad Yahaya called on all Malaysians to join the rally, describing it as a moral and religious duty.

Ahmad, who is also the Pokok Sena MP, said Anwar must step down for failing to deliver on promises, stimulate the economy, and stabilise the country’s administration.

He likened the country to a bus being driven recklessly, endangering its passengers - the rakyat.

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