Marching over other people’s rights
The Walk for Democracy is bound to affect people not connected to the Bersih rally, says the government.
(Free Malaysia Today) – Bersih 2.0′s ‘Walk for Democracy’ rally will march over other people’s rights, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Nazri Abdul Aziz , said here today.
He said that although Malaysians had the right to a peaceful assembly, they still had to abide by the country’s laws.
“There is no absolute freedom. All freedom will be subject to the laws of the country, and to me, you’re free to exercise your human rights, as long as it does not affect the human rights of others.”
“So when you exercise your freedom of rights, you affect the (rights of) others, that’s where your freedom stops,” he told FMT.
Section 1(b) in Article 10 of the Federal Constitution states: “All citizens have the right to assemble peacefully and without arms.”
Nazri said that street rallies such as Bersih’s planned July 9 gathering would affect other citizens’ businesses and lifestyles.
He added that large-scale demonstrations would have large sections of roads closed to other people wishing to use them.
This, he said, would affect other citizens’ respective businesses and lifestyles.
“By having a demonstration as big as half a million people coming to it, it’s going to affect the freedom of people who wish to enjoy a peaceful Saturday walking along Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman.”
“It will affect the rights of taxi drivers to… find fares, it will affect the rights of shopkeepers, the stallholders who want to earn a living on a peaceful Saturday,” he said.
Nazri was also unwavering when FMT posed the question of last week’s Standard-Chartered KL Marathon, which saw many roads closed to accommodate the over 22,000 runners.
“That one is (due to) the acquiescence of the public. The public did not object (to the marathon), but there are 1,000-over police reports objecting (to Bersih). Do you see any police reports objecting to the marathon?” he said.
Highly insensitive
To date, a total of 1,830 police reports have been lodged against the rally, which is expecting an attendance of over 100,000 protesters.
Speaking on the 30 arrested Parti Socialis Malaysia (PSM) activists, Nazri said that it was highly insensitive for them to be holding communist-themed T-shirts.
He said that ownership of these T-shirts was tantamount to glorifying Malayan Communist Party leaders Chin Peng and Rashid Maidin.
