PSM deputy chairperson S Arutchelvan, who welcomed the “liberation of Padang Merbok from the clutches of the metal fence”, cautioned that this should not become an excuse to curb the people’s right to assemble outside the Parliament building.

“This should not be a pretext to further curtail the fundamental right of the people to assemble and voice their concerns directly at the seat of power: the gates of Parliament itself,” he added.

He was responding to Federal Territories Minister Hannah Yeoh, who said...