In defence of public assemblies

Despite what some claim, public assemblies have a long history in this country. Najib, for one, should remember that Umno came to prominence due to its demonstrations — many which were “illegal” according to the law of the day — against the Malayan Union.

By Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, The Malaysian Insider

I was unable to make it to last week’s anti-ISA gathering because I had to attend a family wedding in Penang. I did notice the roadblocks on the way to Kuala Lumpur as I drove up to Penang on Friday, the day before the assembly.

I was kept updated on the day itself while attending the wedding through SMSes, Facebook and Twitter via my Blackberry.

The next day, there was another wedding reception scheduled and I was tasked to drive a few family friends there. After exchanging pleasantries, I focused on my driving as the three middle-class Malay women — each of them aged about 60 years old — chatted at the back of my car.

“The traffic jams in KL were horrible yesterday,” said the first woman.

“It was because of those demonstrations,” said the second.

It seems that people end up talking about politics even at weddings these days!

The issue of demonstrations has been very much in the news lately, of course. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has claimed that public rallies are an inconvenience. Deputy Minister Datuk T. Murugiah has urged traders affected by the rally to claim compensation from the organisers.

Article 10 of the Federal Constitution grants Malaysian citizens the right to freedom of speech, expression and assembly. These rights are naturally subject to regulation.

But we cannot deny that these rights exist and that we ought to be free to exercise them. Despite what some claim, public assemblies have a long history in this country. Najib, for one, should remember that Umno came to prominence due to its demonstrations — many which were “illegal” according to the law of the day — against the Malayan Union.

Any mature democratic country regards protests as part and parcel of democratic culture. Our founding fathers fought to free our country in order for us to be a democratic and sovereign nation. This includes the freedom to assemble that was included in our Constitution. We cannot consider ourselves either “democratic” or “sovereign” until and unless these rights are respected as well as exercised responsibly.

READ MORE HERE: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/