PUTRAJAYA: The Home Ministry is expected to table amendments to the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 by the October Parliament session.
Government spokesperson Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said the move follows a policy decision by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“One of the policy decisions made, which was brought forward by the Home Ministry, relates to the government’s intention to amend the Peaceful Assembly Act, as announced by the prime minister in Parliament and also by the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
“We expect that the amendment to the Peaceful Assembly Act will be tabled in Parliament either during the next session or at the latest by October,” he said at his weekly media briefing.
He said Saifuddin informed the Cabinet today that from 2022 to 2024, 99 per cent of peaceful assembly applications were approved.
“This is an encouraging figure when we examine the statistics, but we believe the amendments to be tabled in Parliament will further strengthen the people’s right to assemble peacefully,” he said.
In February, Anwar said the government agreed to amend the law to remove the requirement for organisers to get approval before holding public gatherings.
The announcement followed a question from Kota Melaka MP Khoo Poay Tiong, who asked if the government would amend the law to remove the need for venue owners’ permission for public gatherings.
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