DAP dinner a tame affair

Written by Yong Min Wei, The Edge

The DAP fund-raising dinner attended by some 3,000 people this evening turned out to be a tame affair following police intervention.

Police and FRU personnel had late this afternoon cordoned off the area outside Klang MP Charles Santiago's Bayu Tinggi office as the permit for the fund raising dinner at an open space was withdrawn at the eleventh hour.

According to Selangor DAP chairman Ean Yong Hian Wah, police initially disallowed anyone from gathering at the open space for the dinner but later relented to at least allow the 3,000-odd guests to have their dinner beneath the canopies before dispersing.

"We (DAP lawmakers) had to negotiate with them and get them to understand the organisers cannot just cancel the dinner. I'm glad some 3,000 people attended despite the earlier interference," the Seri Kembangan assemblyman said.

However, he said police barred any speeches to be held and confiscated some audio-visual equipment before dinner was served, adding that there were seven FRU trucks and two water canon trucks at the venue.

"This is definitely a sabotage by the police. They forced this cancellation as they know we would convey strong political messages," he said, noting that a permit was initially obtained from the Klang district police headquarters.

Ean Yong, who is also a state executive councillor, said police told DAP that a fund-raising dinner could only be held indoors due to security and traffic concerns.

He added that police had earlier this month stopped a fund-raising dinner in Serdang but than allowed them to proceed in an enclosed area at the multi-purpose hall.

Today's dinner was organised by the DAP Klang parliamentary liaison committee and would have seen party leaders such as Lim Kit Siang, Gobind Singh Deo, Nga Kor Ming and Ronnie Liu taking the stage.