DAP’s Anthony Loke to be charged over Padang Merbok rally
(MM) – DAP MP Anthony Loke will be hauled to court next week to face a charge of violating the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 in organising last month’s “Black505” protest at Padang Merbok.
The lawmaker joins a growing list of Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders to face court action for allegedly failing to adhere to conditions in the assembly law that was enacted last year to regulate public protests.
The Seremban MP confirmed with The Malay Mail Online that he was slapped with a court summon today at the Dang Wangi district police headquarters after he was called in to give a statement about the June 22 event.
“After I completed my statement, I was issued a summon to attend court next Thursday. I will be charged under section 15(3) of the PAA2012 for failing to get the consent of the landowners before organising the rally,” he said when contacted here.
Section 15(3) which covers restrictions and conditions in the organisation of mass public gatherings stipulates that, “any person who fails to comply with any restrictions and conditions under this section commits an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding ten thousand ringgit”.
A conviction under this section could possibly see Loke stripped from his MP post in Parliament as local election laws state that any lawmaker who is fined RM2,000 and above for any offence would be automatically disqualified.
The Malay Mail Online understands that apart from Loke, two other PR leaders will be hauled to court for the same offence — PKR’s Rafizi Ramli and PAS’s Dr Syed Azman Syed Ahmad Nawawi. All three men were listed as party representatives in their rally notice to the police last month.
