KUALA LUMPUR: Hundreds of people marched through Malaysia's capital Tuesday to denounce a proposed law banning street protests that critics say is a threat to free speech.
About 500 lawyers, opposition politicians, and activists marched at mid-day to parliament in Kuala Lumpur, which was expected to pass the contentious Peaceful Assembly Bill later in the day.
Prime Minister Najib Razak has framed the bill as part of a campaign he launched in September to replace tough laws on security, speech and assembly in a bid to shore up support ahead of elections he is expected to call next year.
The bill would replace current legislation requiring a police permit for public gatherings, but critics say it proposes a range of prohibitive new restrictions.
"The government must reject the bill as it infringes on the rights of the people and violates the constitution," said Wong Chin Huat of Bersih 2.0, which spearheaded a demonstration for electoral reform in July that was broken up by police.
"If they don't change the law, they will pay the price when voters abandon the government in the next general elections," he told AFP during the march.
Najib defended the act on Monday, saying it guarantees the right to peaceful assembly."
But it has been assailed by opposition politicians who call Najib's reforms a cynical election ploy and say the bill validates their fears that tough old laws will merely be replaced by strict new rules.
The bill would prohibit public marches but allow gatherings to be held in designated places, such as stadiums, without prior notice.
Following an outcry, the government said it would shorten the amount of notice that assembly organisers must give police to within 10 days instead of the original 30 days.
But critics including the Malaysian Bar Council and Human Rights Watch maintain the act would grant police too much power over the timing, duration, and location of gatherings.
"This bill is a legislative attack on Malaysians' right to peaceful protest," Sam Zarifi, Amnesty's Asia-Pacific director, said in a statement.
The demonstrators marched under the close watch of dozens of riot police to parliament, where they handed over a protest memorandum to a government representative.
The ruling Barisan Nasional coalition now headed by Najib has been accused of routinely using tough laws to snuff out challenges to its five decades in power.
But public opinion has turned against such strict measures in recent years as the opposition has gained strength and soaring Internet use has fuelled more open debate.
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