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News Legal/General News Right of public protest should be used wisely
News Legal/General News Right of public protest should be used wisely 
| Right of public protest should be used wisely |
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| Monday, 09 January 2012 08:58am | |
 ©The Star (Used by permission)The Star Says TOMORROW would have been a routinely busy Monday, except that it may be far busier in a part of Kuala Lumpur. The court verdict from Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy trial involving his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan is due out tomorrow. In turn, the Anwar faithful hope to be out in force in the Jalan Duta Court Complex vicinity to protest a judgment and a sentence they have already presumed as unfavourable. The impending occasion has descended to some crass moments by mutating into a competition over numbers. On 901 (9 January), partisans seek to assemble 100,000 protesters for an event that has already generated more than 300 complaints in police reports. In Kuantan, some 13 police reports have been lodged, while Penang’s 13 PKR divisions pledged to mobilise at least 50 protesters each. Selangor has talked of 500 protesters per division, with the state’s Village Development and Security Committees contributing 8,000. But we should not let mere figures cloud the more pertinent issues at play. The plain fact is that a court is due to deliver a verdict following a trial and due process. Where there is recourse to appeal, those dissatisfied with the verdict may take that option. Each of these standard judicial procedures needs to be respected by all. At the same time, the right of partisans to gather and protest should also be respected and observed by the authorities, to the extent that such action is lawful and legitimate. With a general election looming, the temptation for partisans to squeeze political capital from the occasion is evident. Yet what exactly is to be served by a mammoth protest over the announcement of a trial verdict following a criminal investigation and prosecution? Opponents of the protest argue that it would only inconvenience the public and cause chaos. But protests are not necessarily chaotic, while the perceived need to protest an urgent matter can sometimes justify public inconvenience. Meanwhile, the authorities want the organisers to guarantee a trouble-free protest, when in reality no such guarantee is possible. Ultimately, only a few vital, pressing issues merit public protest. Overdoing street demonstrations for personal and partisan gain only devalues that avenue of action. It inures society to protest in general, blunting its effectiveness for other, more urgent matters. Set as favourite Share Email This Comments (0)
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