Bersih 3.0 rally is on but Nazri says, Dataran Merdeka not gazetted for assembly...

 Bersih 3.0, the planned third rally for clean and fair elections on April 28, may have hit a snag, with a minister saying that the venue cannot be used for a gathering, even a peaceful one.

“Dataran Merdeka is not a gazetted area for peaceful assembly,” de facto law minister Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz told reporters in the Parliament lobby today.

He was asked to respond to electoral reform coalition Bersih 2.0, which announced this morning that it would proceed with another massive rally in Kuala Lumpur.
 
It believes that recommendations by the parliamentary select committee (PSC) on electoral reform have failed to address key reforms it has been pressing to implement.

In an immediate reaction, Bersih 2.0 joint chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan said: “We will discuss with the police on this.”

The Peacful Assembly Act 2011 allows public gatherings under certain conditions but prohibits these from being held near locations, such as near places of worship and schools.

Under the Act, the home minister has the discretion to declare an area as gazetted for public gatherings and to degazette it at will.

Asked about a PSC recommendation to institute a permanent parliamentary committee to oversee the implementation of the electoral reform proposals, Nazri said it would have to wait for cabinet approval.

"We have yet to discuss the matter, but it will be discussed at the next cabinet meeting," he said.

PSC chief Maximus Ongkili had said yesterday that the committee wants the permanent committee to be set up to ensure that the 22 recommendations are followed through.- malaysiakini

Bersih rally at Dataran Merdeka illegal, says Nazri

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Bersih 3.0 rally is on...

The Bersih 2.0 committee announced this morning that its next rally will be held at 2pm on April 28, at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur.

The theme of the rally, dubbed Bersih 3.0, is Duduk Bantah(sit-down protest), 
joint chairperson A Samad Said told a press conference.

Simultaneous protests are expected to be held in several places nationwide and other parts of the world, keeping up the coalition's pressure for clean and fair elections.

Ambiga Sreenevasan said the focus of Bersih 3.0 would be on three key demands:

- The EC must resign.

- The electoral process must be cleaned up before the next general election.

- International observers should be allowed to monitor the polls.

Ambiga also said that Himpunan Hijau will hold its 3.0 rally alongside Bersih 3.0. 

 The committee had yesterday said that the report of the parliamentary select committee (PSC) on electoral reform had failed in key areas.

The coalition of NGOs had previously warned that another rally would be held if its demands were not met as a result of the PSC process.

The PSC was formed after Bersih 2.0 led a rally of about 15,000 people in Kuala Lumpur on July 9 last year to back eight demands for electoral reform.

The first Bersih rally had been held in 2007 with an estimated 40,000 people walking to the Istana Negara gates to submit a memorandum to the Agong.-malaysiakini

Bersih 3.0 diteruskan 28 April dengan 'Duduk Bantah'

Penganjur BERSIH 3.0 hari ini mengumumkan bahawa perhimpunan tersebut akan diteruskan pada penghujung bulan ini - jam 2 petang 28 April - di Dataran Merdeka, pusat bandar Kuala Lumpur.

Pengerusi bersama Gabungan Menuntut Pilihan Raya Bersih dan Adil (BERSIH 2.0), Datuk A Samad Said ketika mengumumkan perkara itu berkata perhimpunan berkenaan akan diadakan dengan slogan 'Duduk Bantah.'

Perhimpunan yang anjurkan bersama dengan 84 NGO lain itu juga akan diadakan serentak di seluruh negara dan dunia, kata sasterawan negara itu lagi.

Perhimpunan kedua pada 9 Julai tahun lalu dihadiri puluhan ribu rakyat yang menuntut supaya lapan perkara itu dilaksanakan.

Kerajaan kemudiannya menubuhkan Jawatankuasa Penambahbaikan berhubung Pilihan Raya (PSC) untuk mencadangkan perkara untuk menambahbaik pilihan raya.

Laporan jawatankuasa itu dikemukakan ke parlimen semalam dengan bantahan oleh wakil pembangkang.- malaysiakini

Penganjur sasar 500,000 sertai himpunan 28 April
Nazri: Dataran Merdeka tidak diwarta untuk perhimpunan

cheers.