Press Statement - Peaceful Expression of View is Part of Democratic Process
KiniTV
2015-09-11
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The Bar Council is appalled at the harassment and intimidation from the police directed at participants of the JERIT Ride for Change Campaign.
The cyclists and those accompanying them have had to endure frequent roadblocks, unnecessary questioning and arrests as they journeyed towards KL. In addition they have had to endure their bikes being torched by unknown persons and at least one stone-throwing incident.
To date, approximately 120 individuals have been detained. Most recently, 39 persons were stopped for hours at the Bangi Lama Estate on Monday, 15 December. That same day, approximately 30 activists and 26 cyclists (who were minors) were detained overnight at the Rawang police station. This morning, one person was arrested prior to the handover of the memorandum at Parliament to mark the end of the campaign.
The freedom of expression and speech by the Ride for Change campaign participants is wholly consistent with their rights as enshrined in our Federal Constitution and is surely a basic and rudimentary tenet of any truly democratic society. There must be absolute respect for every citizen to express their views in accordance with our Constitution. In fact the police have a public duty to provide protection and safety for all the participants.
Their demands as stated in the fliers distributed throughout their campaign call attention to the abolition of the ISA, minimum wage for workers, affordable housing for the poor, the halt to the privatization of basic amenities, the need for price controls and local council elections.
The role of the police should be to provide the necessary safety and protection for all the participants, and we commend the police for the occasions when they fulfilled this role. In most instances, however, they were overzealous and heavy-handed, and harassed the participants in a manner that could be perceived to be political interference by the police to stop any form of dissent to please the government of the day.
The intimidatio
The cyclists and those accompanying them have had to endure frequent roadblocks, unnecessary questioning and arrests as they journeyed towards KL. In addition they have had to endure their bikes being torched by unknown persons and at least one stone-throwing incident.
To date, approximately 120 individuals have been detained. Most recently, 39 persons were stopped for hours at the Bangi Lama Estate on Monday, 15 December. That same day, approximately 30 activists and 26 cyclists (who were minors) were detained overnight at the Rawang police station. This morning, one person was arrested prior to the handover of the memorandum at Parliament to mark the end of the campaign.
The freedom of expression and speech by the Ride for Change campaign participants is wholly consistent with their rights as enshrined in our Federal Constitution and is surely a basic and rudimentary tenet of any truly democratic society. There must be absolute respect for every citizen to express their views in accordance with our Constitution. In fact the police have a public duty to provide protection and safety for all the participants.
Their demands as stated in the fliers distributed throughout their campaign call attention to the abolition of the ISA, minimum wage for workers, affordable housing for the poor, the halt to the privatization of basic amenities, the need for price controls and local council elections.
The role of the police should be to provide the necessary safety and protection for all the participants, and we commend the police for the occasions when they fulfilled this role. In most instances, however, they were overzealous and heavy-handed, and harassed the participants in a manner that could be perceived to be political interference by the police to stop any form of dissent to please the government of the day.
The intimidatio
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