Police have secured a two-day remand order for 25 people arrested at an anti-GST protest outside Customs headquarters in Kelana Jaya yesterday.
Thoo Suet Mei, the laywer representing the 25 protesters, said the police were planning to apply for remand orders for more of the protesters, but could not name them.
“For now, I can confirm that they have obtained a two-day remand for 25 people who took part in yesterday’s protest at the Customs office,” she told The Malaysian Insider‘s Low Han Shaun.
Yesterday’s protest led to the arrest of more than 80 people.
Among those arrested were Parti Sosialis Malaysia’s (PSM) Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj, who is also Sungai Siput MP; PKR’s Badrul Hisham Shahrin; DAP’s Hew Kuan Yau; and PAS member of Parliament Dr Hatta Ramli.
Most of those arrested were later released.
The protest was jointly organised by the PSM and the Gabungan Bantah GST (Anti-GST Coalition), to call for the cancellation of th imminent implementation of the Goods and Services Tax, due to come into effect on April 1.
The protest was also aiming to get the Customs Department to address some 100 questions on the GST forwarded by the organisers.
The GST, which will impose a 6% tax on a wide range of retail products and services, will replace existing sales and services tax in Malaysia. The Federal Government said the GST was part of its tax reform initiative to offset the fact that only 1.7 million workers in Malaysia – out of an approximate total of 12 million – pay their income taxes.
Surveys have shown that a majority of Malaysians are against the GST coming into effect, with even some defenders of the new tax saying that the time is not yet right for its implementation in the country.
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