Road Blocks - 2008/07/14 12:51The Police decided to be creative today by blocking all roads to town. Apparently it was a blockage towards parliament.
1. Parliament is a building where ALL Malaysians (subject to security check) can attend. To have a road block to deny Malaysians going to Parliament out of fear of a 'perhimpunan' at Parliament is a huge denial of our rights. Are we a Police State, since the Police can decide who can and cannot enter parliament's compound?
2. To organise the road block without informing the public is irresponsible of the Police. In fact it is smack of arrogance on their part.
3. Is this road blocks an effort to engineer hatred towards the Pakatan Rakyat? Why is the Court Order obtained by the Sentul Police and blaming the Pakatan Rakyat perceived gathering as basis to conduct road blocks?
4. The Police owe the public in Kuala Lumpur an apology for causing mayhem in town and delaying people to work. Appointments have to be cancelled or postponed at the last minute and today being Monday, the working people would have to get into office asap to start work.
5. Who ordered the Police to obtain that Court order? Please tell us who ordered you do that. I wish to speak to this irresponsible, self centered, politically self-serving person.
6. What was informed to the Magistrate to persuade that Magistrate to grant this kind of order? Was the Magistrate informed that the Court Order would encompass the entire Kuala Lumpur to be in traffic jam from 730am onwards.
richard wee
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Dipendra A/L Harshad Rai
User Junior Forumer
Posts: 73
Re:Road Blocks - 2008/07/14 14:27The Parliament is like a xxxxx-house. Everyone should be able to visit Parliament without restriction.
What possessed the learned Magistrate to grant an injunction prohibiting the public from visiting Parliament? I wonder if the Magistrate knew that Parliament, just like the courts are public institution and is open to everyone. A dangerous precedent has been set by the Magistrate and lets not be surprised if soon only litigants and lawyers who have matters listed will be able to patronise the courts.
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Stephen Tan Ban Cheng
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Posts: 568
Re:Road Blocks - 2008/07/14 15:02My dear Dipendra
Road blocks used to be mounted by the Police force in the days of the Emergency.
Today, I see the Police force mounting road blocks almost at will. For instance, when people in Penang are leaving their offices after a hard day's work, the police mount road blocks in the Jelutong Expressway.
They forget the inconvenience. Road blocks negative the role of expressways which have been built to ensure a smooth flow of traffic.
There was a time, at least before I left for New Zealand in 1989, when an inspector must head a road block. Today, following an amendment to the Police Act, for the purpose of mounting a road block, a police officer has been defined as a mere cop.
There was also a time when we could get our elected representatives to deal with the police on a traffic offence. Those arrangements disappeared when, in a directive a prime ministerial era ago, elected representatives of the ruling National Front were told not to get involved in police matters.
That probably explains why the Police force appears to be a law unto itself. Power went unchecked!
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Richard Wee Thiam Seng
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Posts: 164
Re:Road Blocks - 2008/07/14 19:08Our beloved Prime Minister who have Police escort wherever he goes defends the Police action of blocking and causing virtually the whole of Kuala Lumpur to be in standstill.
As there was no demonstration, can we sack the Police Officer who obtain this incorrect 'intelligence'?? There was no demonstration planned as far as I know. Nothing of the sort in the Blogs. We would expect that when a party wants to organise a demonstration, the news of the demo would be announced to as many people as possible in order to attract the crowd to attend. If it was hush-hush, how to attract people to attend demo lah.
But our beloved Prime Minister who have Police escort wherever he goes, has instead blamed on the perceived demonstration and trying to (as I suspected) engineer an ill feeling towards the opposition.
Mr Beloved Prime Minister who have Police escort wherever he goes, please try to impress the rakyat with SUBSTANCE. Work and do what you and your cabinet are suppose to do - ie to serve the People, instead of focussing your energy on engineering hatred towards other people.
From THE STAR
Traffic jams: PM defends the police By JANE RITIKOS
PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has defended the police for setting up road blocks around the city in anticipation of a public demonstration, causing massive traffic jams Monday.
The Prime Minister instead blamed the traffic jams to those who planned to hold demonstrations and said the police were only doing their job in maintaining order and public safety.
“The police are trying to reduce hindrances and reduce traffic jams (that would be caused by the demonstration) too,” he said, adding that businesses and shops affected by demonstrations held inside the city expected the police to ensure disturbances were kept at bay.
“But at the same time the demonstrators say police have no business disturbing them. The police have a responsibility in ensuring there is no trouble and all is safe for the public,” he said.
Abdullah reminded the demonstrators that he had advised them to hold their rallies at stadiums where “they can scream at the top of their voice and “not at these places (in the streets) because people have the right to go about their business in peace.”
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Robert Lazar
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Posts: 3
Re:Road Blocks - 2008/07/15 10:13Richard - police intelligence - today that is an oxymoron! But I like the argument that since Anwar was prohibited from going within a 5 km radius of Parliament house how could he go to the police station? That must be a classic example of shooting one's own foot.
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Syahredzan Bin Johan
User Fresh Forumer
Posts: 1
Re:Road Blocks - 2008/07/15 14:14From my office, I can see the roads leading up to Parliament.
All day yesterday, I looked for the phantom rally.
I could not see people trying to make their way to Parliament to participate in the supposed rally.
No arrests were made in conjuction with the supposed rally.
I did not read/hear anything about any rally that was supposed to take place on Monday.
So what's the point of the heavy police presence?
The way I see it, Monday's facade was a pre-motivated political ploy. By claiming that Anwar and Pakatan will be organizing a rally in Parliament and setting up roadblocks to hassle road users, the ruling regime hopes to the public will blame the opposition for the massive traffic jams.
It's sad to see politicians using insitutions like the police force to serve their political needs.
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Richard Wee Thiam Seng
User Junior Forumer
Posts: 164
Re:Road Blocks - 2008/07/15 16:41Now we see one major cost of the Road Blocks - CLP students missing their exams.
I recall when I took the CLP exams. The tension, the pressure and the fear of failure. And to be denied the chance to take exams, because some Police Intelligence (an oxymoron as correctly pointed out by Robert Lazar) claims there will be a big protest, is a joke!
Is this some kind of power show by the Politicians instructing for a Road Block?
How will the Government compensate the CLP students (and the thousands of KL people who missed appointments etc etc)?
The Police must take FULL responsibility for this fiasco.
If they are unhappy to take responsibility, please inform the Rakyat, which self-serving Politician instructed you to carry out this horrendous and irresponsible road blocks.
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Harinder Veriah Trust - International Law Award 2009
