Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed insisted that the Royal Malaysian Police is the most accommodating law enforcement agency in the world, a day after the PDRM announced it prohibited the upcoming #BERSIH4 rally from taking place.
“No police in any other country would make compromises the way Malaysian police do. In other countries, demonstrators would follow the rules set out by the police,” he said today, as quoted by The Malay Mail Online‘s Aizyl Azlee.
Nur Jazlan said the PDRM’s decision to bar the rally, organised by electoral reform movement Bersih 2.0, as being reasonable, given that Merdeka celebration rehearsals were to take place on August 29 and 30, the dates of the #BERSIH4 mass gathering.
“It would involve large expenditures for the police who would have to supervise the demonstrations which will take place amidst large groups of people participating in dress rehearsals and preparations for Merdeka,” he said.
“Which also means there could be damages to property involved for the celebrations. So I believe it is reasonable for the police to reject the demonstrations if it were held on those dates.”
KL city police chief Tajudin Md Isa confirmed yesterday that the PDRM had barred the #BERSIH4 rally from taking place, as it did not meet the prerequisites laid down by the PDRM for a 10-day prior notice, and also because the organisers did not get permission from Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).
Bersih 2.0 steering committee chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah, however, said the mass gathering would proceed as planned, despite the objections of the authorities.
She also pointed out that before the date for the rally was set, DBKL had informed the electoral watchdog that Dataran Merdeka was available.
