By The Star
Sunday July 6, 2008
NGO leaders take protest to IGP’s doorstep
KUALA LUMPUR: Leaders of several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) staged a peaceful protest at the Bukit Aman police headquarters here against a proposal to deploy the armed forces during public rallies.
The proposal, made by Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan on Wednesday, has evoked vehement objections from various groups, including the Bar Council.
Twenty-seven civil society organisations also issued a joint statement saying that the deployment of soldiers would send a wrong signal to Malaysians and to the world on the country’s security situation.
Any proposal to deploy the armed forces would wrongly convey the impression that the country was already in a state of crisis or in imminent danger of falling apart, they said.
“It will also make the recent statement of the Prime Minister that the security situation is under control ring hollow,??? they added.
At Bukit Aman, there was tight security during the morning event, with policemen turning away unauthorised vehicles. Light Strike Force personnel also patrolled the area.
Teluk Intan MP M. Manogaran, who led the NGO group, called on Musa in a memorandum to immediately issue a statement confirming and declaring that the military would not be called upon to stifle peaceful assemblies.
The memorandum also urged the IGP to make a public apology for “threats made by him??? to the people’s fundamental freedom.
Bukit Aman public relations officer C/Insp Abdul Razak Abdul Majid received the memorandum.
Police Watch and Human Rights Committee member N. Surendren said that short of a huge calamity, the army should not be roped in.
He added that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, as Armed Forces Supreme Commander, must be consulted first before any such notion was entertained.