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©Malaysiakini (Used by permission)
by Beh Lih Yi

The Bar Council has called off its annual human rights day march on Sunday, ostensibly due to pressure from the authorities to obtain a police permit and it being branded as an ‘anti-government’ rally.

“We are calling it off, but will proceed with the rest of the festivities (at Central Market),” council chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan told Malaysiakini this afternoon.

In a press statement later, she said the council’s decision was made after “anxious consideration to the present circumstances that surround the event, particularly the interests of the public and the Malaysian Bar".

She described the controversy surrounding the event as “unfortunate and wholly unwarranted".

Ambiga also criticised the police request for a permit and described it as an “unlawful fetter on our constitutional right to assemble peacefully".

“The Bar Council takes the position that the requirement for an application for a permit under the Police Act to hold this event, violates our constitutional right to peaceful assembly,” she said.

'Missed opportunity'

She added that the Royal Commission on the Police Force, the Human Rights Commission and the Bar Council have called for the repeal of the law.

Ambiga said the lawyers’ march should not have become a controversial issue in the first place.

“Most significantly, it should not be vilified as affecting race relations or be regarded as an anti-government rally,” she added.

According to her, the event would have demonstrated racial harmony and that the people can walk peacefully in unity for human rights.

“It would have been an opportunity for the authorities to show to the world that we subscribe to these values. It is a missed opportunity,” she said.

Acknowledging that there will be disappointment over the cancellation of the walk, Ambiga said this is one occasion where “other more significant considerations have prevailed”.

'Not a protest march'

The organiser initially planned to hold the march, themed the ‘People’s Freedom Walk’, from the Sogo department store to Central Market on Sunday morning.

The march has featured in the council’s annual celebration of World Human Rights Day on Dec 10 for the last two years.

Amidst criticism, Ambiga explained last Saturday that it was not a protest march but a way to observe the global event and there would be “minimal disruptions”.

The Sunday march was one of the three mass rallies planned for this month, following the Bersih and Hindraf rallies which attracted tens of thousands.

On Sept 26, the Bar Council held a 3.5km ‘Walk for Justice’, drawing some 2,000 lawyers, following the revelation of the controversial VK Lingam video.

The council did not have a permit for this and its office-bearers were questioned later by police. The outcome of investigations is not yet known.

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