KUALA LUMPUR, 16 Oct: Over 500 lawyers today in black suits marched about one kilometre towards Parliament to urge the government to repeal the Sedition Act.
The march which was called the ‘March for Peace and Freedom 2014’ began when participants gathered from 10.00 this morning.
The Malaysian Bar Council also received support from legal associations and bodies from abroad.
Also with them were Pakatan Rakyat Members of Parliament and also legal practitioners who came down from the House of Representatives to express their solidarity towards the fight to repeal the Act.
They carried placards with the words “Repeal the Sedition Act”, “Silence will not protect you” and “Harmony, respect unity”.
Apart from lawyers, also present in the march was a group of media practitioners who do not want the Act to be misused to suppress the freedom of expression and media freedom.
Among those present was the Council President, Christopher Leong, who was seen welcoming the arrival of participants, and the former co-chairman of BERSIH, Datuk S Ambiga; the PSM Secretary General, S Arutchelvan, and Parliamentarians from the opposition – Teo Nie Ching, Nga Kor Ming and Gobind Singh Deo.
Only 10 Bar Council members were allowed into the Parliament building and they were welcomed by Pakatan Rakyat Members of Parliament.
In the meantime Christopher handed over an open memorandum to the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Mah Siew Keong, as the representative of the government at the Committee Room 2, Parliament Building.
Among those contained in the memorandum was to urge the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, to repeal the Sedition Act.
“We appreciate the support of the Parliamentarians towards our views for this Act to be repealed,” he said.
NS
