EYE ON ‘THANKSGIVING’ RALLY
Police to monitor Saturday’s event and ensure all parties obey the law
POLICE will be monitoring the “thanksgiving” rally to celebrate the non-ratification of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) in Jalan Raja here on Saturday.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun said Kuala Lumpur City Hall had allowed the organiser to use the designated location.
“The police will monitor and control the situation during the rally as it has obtained (Kuala Lumpur) City Hall’s permission. Police will also issue a letter of authorisation for the rally and hope all parties will obey the law,” he said after officiating UniKop College’s convocation at the Royal Malaysia Police College here yesterday.
On Monday, Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan said City Hall had allowed the organisers to use an area in front of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building to hold the rally from 2pm to 6pm.
City Hall had received an application from the organisers, comprising Muafakat (Pertubuhan Muafakat Sejahtera Masyarakat Malaysia), Ummah (Gerakan Pembela Ummah) and Daulat (Persatuan Bekas Angkatan Tentera Tidak Berpencen Malaysia), on Nov 27.
On Nov 23, the Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement saying that the Pakatan Harapan-led government would not be ratifying ICERD. It said it would continue to uphold the Federal Constitution to defend the social contract that had been agreed upon by all races since the formation of this country.
Following the statement, Ummah secretariat head Aminuddin Yahaya announced that Saturday’s rally at Dataran Merdeka would proceed as a “thanksgiving” gathering.
It was originally to protest Malaysia’s plans to ratify ICERD, but Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had stated it would be difficult for the country to do so.